When Nightmares Become Reality
by TheIrishGilmore
Summary: Quinn Fabray, a highly regarded FBI agent, has made many enemies in her line of work. But what happens when those enemies get back at Quinn through the one thing she holds dear; her family. A vicious attack leaves Rachel fighting for her life, and Quinn seeking out revenge while trying to cling on to her wife and raise their infant daughter with the help of her friends.
1. Chapter 1

**So here it is. Chapter one. The first couple of chapters are just going to act as an introduction to the characters before the story really takes off, so please be patient, and review. I hope you like it. Any trigger warnings will be posted at the beginning of the chapters for future reference. **

**Flashbacks in Italics.**

The sleek back Chevy SUV sat stationed right across the street, silently hovering near the building as cars whizzed past, its occupant keeping a watchful eye on the door just off to the side, patiently waiting for any sign of movement. A couple of feet away, a Latina dressed in a black fitted suit with a pastel blue satin shirt checked the time on her watch and rolled her eyes as she glanced towards the vehicle. The street vendor handed her the two cups of take away coffee she had ordered and she pulled a crisp ten dollar bill from her pocket and handed it over before picking up the cups and walking away.

Inside the SUV the blonde sitting behind the driver's seat kept her gaze focused on the door, her concentration only breaking momentarily as a shadow passed by in the rear view mirror, her muscles tensing briefly until the shadow emerged to reveal a blind man and his guide dog stepping out from behind the car to cross the street. Watching intently, she waited until the man was safely across the street, her eyes conducting a brief scan of the surrounding area before returning to its original location and holding focus. The sound of the passenger door opening caused her ear to twitch in recognition that she had been listening, but she never turned to face the new arrival, knowing exactly who it was.

"Eight bucks, the guy charges me eight bucks for a couple of coffees from a street cart. I mean who the hell does that? I know its NYC but a street cart ain't no Starbucks is all I'm sayin'," Santana ranted as she placed her coffee in the cup holder and then closed the door, her other arm holding out the second coffee towards the blonde who had yet to acknowledge her presence. "Yo, earth to Quinn. I bring you coffee and you can't even be bothered to look at me? Unbelievable," the dark haired woman exclaimed, passing the cup off to her right hand and swatting Quinn across the arm with her left.

"Ow, what the hell was that for?" Quinn shouted, rubbing at her stinging arm. Santana's eyes narrowed as she looked at the other woman handing her off the coffee. "Oh I dunno, let me see, ignoring me maybe?" the Latina responded sarcastically, tapping her chin before turning back to look at the blonde. "You know I was used to you getting all lost inside your head when we're working, 'cause I've learned over the years that that's just how you operate, but since you started dating the singing dwarf I've had to put up with you ignoring me outside of work too and it's becoming a real pain in my ass." Santana slumped back in her seat, arms folded across her chest as she gazed straight ahead out of the front windscreen.

"Are you done?" Quinn asked with her eyebrow raised, used to Santana throwing strops whenever she was annoyed. They usually occurred or coincided with late night stake outs as it interfered with the Latina's sleep time. Honestly she couldn't figure out why the other woman bothered joining up for the FBI in the first place. All she did was complain about how much it got in the way of her social life, or lack thereof as was often the case in the lives of most FBI agents. Working for the Behavioural Analysis Unit, as both women did was even more intense as they were quite frequently called out to help in cases all over the country, sometimes working side by side with the team based at headquarters in Quantico.

Now Quinn, she knew exactly why she wanted to work for the FBI, ever since she was a little girl, she always knew that working in some sort of law enforcement was what she wanted to do, to work for the greater good, to put away all the bad guys who purposely set out to hurt innocent people. Quinn wanted to follow in the footsteps of her father, a man who had dedicated his life to fighting for the greater good, who had helped in apprehending some of the country's most notorious criminals. Russell Fabray was Quinn's hero, her very own Superman, the man who put criminals away by day and read bedtime stories to her at night when she was a small child.

So, Quinn worked hard, she put in the effort at school, getting straight A's and making honour roll, graduating as valedictorian and accepting a place at Georgetown University where she majored in psychology before finishing top of her class and moving on to FBI training. With her degree in hand and several recommendations, she was hired to the BAU based in NYC where she has been ever since, earning praise for her commitment to her job from her superiors. Though some would say that maybe, just maybe, Quinn's life was too wrapped up in her job, her mother, her sister and a string of ex-girlfriends among them, although that had changed considerably in recent months.

"What's wrong Q? Trouble in paradise already?" Santana teased, a sly grin creeping across her face. Quinn knew her partner well enough to know that Santana was just trying to lighten things up, but the blonde couldn't help sighing at how accurate the statement actually was. It wasn't so much trouble in paradise that was plaguing Quinn's mind, more a lack of progression in terms of where she thought she would be almost five months into a relationship.

It wasn't like Quinn never saw her other half regularly, quite the opposite in fact. They saw each other constantly, aside from the couple of times Quinn had to spend more than a day or two away to help solve a case. Which was exactly why she couldn't understand why her relationship wasn't moving forward, and that frustrated her even more since it was her job to be able to read people and understand how their minds work, it was literally what she was paid to do and yet she couldn't figure this particular situation out to save her life.

It sort of scared Quinn to be honest, in almost all of her past relationships Quinn's lovers had been quick to offer up every single detail of their lives to the agent. They were open books, even if they didn't share aspects of their lives it didn't matter, because Quinn knew anyways. It was in the slight tremble of their lower lip when they spoke, the quick flick of their hair when they were trying to act nonchalant. But not this time, this relationship was different, it was, a mystery. Like an unsolved case that Quinn couldn't crack because she didn't yet have all the pieces of the puzzle. But that's what excited Quinn, the air of mystery. It was what first drew her to the woman she called her girlfriend.

_Coffee. Quinn needed coffee and she needed it as soon as possible. In fact as far as she was concerned forget about the cup just set up an IV line and send it straight into her bloodstream. She wanted it, she needed it and by God if she didn't get her fix soon somebody would find themselves suffering the wrath of an un-caffeinated Agent Fabray and that was not something anyone wanted to witness. Stupid ex-girlfriend and her stupid need to move things out of Quinn's apartment at an ungodly hour of the morning, Quinn thought as she jumped out of the SUV and locked the doors._

_You know, things probably would have been fine, if it weren't for the small fact that the blonde had never actually lived with her ex. In fact, they had never discussed moving in together, or at least it never crossed Quinn's mind, even though they had been dating for close to two year. That's where the problems had started. Jess, her ex, had slowly but surely been moving things into Quinn's apartment, dropping hints, just small things like a couple of clothes, DVD's, just leaving little reminders of herself here and there._

_What started off as a few things soon turned into one of Quinn's drawers being commandeered, as well as some of her closet space, but she never said anything because she didn't want to entertain the idea that Jess wanted to move in officially. Eventually though her ex got fed up and gave Quinn an ultimatum, either they moved in together or they broke up, all or nothing, simple as that. From the sound of Jess slamming doors and tossing things about the apartment that morning as she collected her belongings, the relationship was well and truly over and Quinn couldn't help but feel relieved. Sure Quinn loved Jess, but after her ex had delivered the ultimatum, she realised she had never actually been IN love with her._

_It wasn't that Jess had been unlovable, she was an incredible woman, but something was always missing in all of Quinn's relationships, something important, something, something she couldn't explain. She could date women and she could love them, but there was always something that kept her from falling deeply in love. A connection, an invisible link that tethered her to that special someone, someone she would gladly put before her career, just like her mother had always wanted for her. Quinn tried, she tried so hard to find that special person who would complete her, she could see herself settling down with and having a family, a happy loving family and a beautiful just like the one she had grown up in._

_God she sounded like such a sap. Quinn blamed her mother and sister for always going on about falling in love and all that jazz. Easy for them to say, they were straight, they were wooed by men who swept them off their feet. Quinn, well, it wasn't as easy for her, being gay meant that either she had to woo a lady, or she had to wait in the hopes that a confident, dominant type would come along and woo her, which didn't happen too often. Still though, Quinn was only 27, she was young, she had plenty of time to settle down, even if her mother kept talking about her love life like it was a ticking clock on the brink of running out._

_Huffing out a breath, Quinn continued down the busy sidewalk towards her usual Starbucks when some guy knocked into her almost sending her into a tailspin. "Hey watch it asshole," Quinn shouted after him. Fucking New York City, people always walking around like they owned every square inch of the sidewalk, loved and loathed the city in equal measures. Turning around she walked up to the door and pushed it open with force out of frustration, watching in horror as it collided with a young woman who was about to exit through it at the exact same time. _

_Quinn raised both her hands to her mouth covering that escaped, her eyes roaming over the now coffee stained clothes of the brunette she accidentally just assaulted with a door. "OH MY GOD! I am so, so sorry," Quinn rushed out, her hands reaching out in front of her trying to figure out what they were supposed to do to help this person she had probably just scorched with piping hot coffee. The woman in front of her stood with her two arms bent at the elbows, as she glanced down at her body. When she noticed Quinn grab tissues from a nearby container and attempt to dab at her clothes, she placed a hand on the blondes forearm to stop her._

"_It's fine I should have been paying more attention to other people using the door," she said. Quinn just shook her head no and dumped the damp tissues in the bin. "No it's my fault I was pissed at some guy on the sidewalk and I took it out on the door. Please let me buy you another coffee as an apology," Quinn said gesturing to the counter just behind them. "You don't have to do that, it's fine, really ," the brunette responded, brown eyes showing nothing but understanding, Quinn couldn't help but get lost in how beautiful they were. _

"_Please, let me buy you another coffee, it would make me feel better," she replied a cheeky grin crossing her face. The shorter woman couldn't help but smile at her and eventually conceded to the blondes wishes. "Okay, if it means that much to you then by all means," she said gesturing with her hands towards the counter. Quinn chuckled glancing down briefly before looking back up at those brown eyes there was something about them, something intriguing. They were so honest yet they seemed to hold so many secrets, secrets Quinn couldn't help but want to unlock. "I'm Quinn Fabray," she finally said as she extended her hand for the other woman to shake. Rachel smiled at her as she accepted the hand into her own. "Rachel, Rachel Berry."_

"Come on Q spill what's going on that's got you all brooding and shit like some character from one of those crappy angsty teen dramas who can't get laid?" Santana asked as she reached for her coffee, removing the lid and using a pen she found in the pocket of the car door to stir it a little. Quinn, who had been in the middle of taking a sip of coffee choked a little at what her partner had said. If it weren't for the fact that the Latina wasn't even looking at Quinn as she spoke, she would have thought Santana was reading her body language or something.

Taking another sip of her coffee, Quinn toyed with the idea of discussing her predicament with her partner, I mean it's not like Santana was a stranger, she and Quinn had been best friends since they first met at FBI training camp several years ago. But should she really be sharing such _intimate_ details about her love life when half of it wasn't hers to share? Maybe there was a roundabout way she could talk about it without giving too much away. She really did need another person's perspective and Santana was sitting right there. It was worth a shot.

"Different relationships move at different speeds, and timing can be different for everyone, but, do you think there's an average time at which it's appropriate to move forward to the next level?" Quinn asked. When she looked at her friend, Santana was sitting with her eyes narrowed, her mouth bobbing up and down as she tried to figure out how the hell she was supposed to answer that. Shaking her head Santana held up a hand, "Wait, what?" she asked. Quinn rolled her eyes, she should have known her thoughts would be too confusing for the brunette to decipher, so she decided she would just have to break it down and hope for the best.

"I've been in a relationship for like, five months now, and don't get me wrong it's been amazing and it's been so different from any relationship I've been in before, but it's just, it's weird," Quinn said scrunching up her nose at her choice of words. Was it really weird? Santana seemed to sense this so she turned sideways in her seat and looked at the blonde. "What do you mean weird? Weird how?" she asked, picking up her coffee and taking a sip, gagging in disgust at the black tar that was supposed to be an actual consumable liquid.

"Maybe I'm just over thinking things maybe this is normal, but, I feel like things are at a standstill, like we're just coasting along and not really going anywhere, you know what I mean," Quinn replied, rubbing the back of her neck. Suddenly things seemed to click for Santana and she snorted in amusement. It appeared to her that her friends' problem wasn't that she was confused about her relationship, but more she was experiencing a type of relationship that was new to her and she was drifting in unfamiliar territory.

"You know what the problem is Q, it's not the relationship you're in now, it's the relationships you've had in the past," Santana said, Quinn looking at her like she was completely lost in where the conversation was supposed to be going. "Let me explain. In the past you've been with girls who have been happy to push ahead and practically run from one step in a relationship to the next, girls who wanted it all and wanted it as soon as they could get it. Hell you've slept with girls after one night." Quinn's eyes narrowed and her eyebrows furrowed, "Are you calling me a slut?" Santana scoffed and waved off the comment.

"The point is, you've never had to take it slow in relationships, you always just sat back and let them dictate the speed and usually they wanted to move at the speed of light. But now, now you're in a relationship where everything is nice and relaxed, there's no pressure, no expectations. You can just take your time, and it freaks you out 'cause you've never done that before, even though that's all you've ever wanted out of a relationship. To take it slow and really learn everything you can about the other person, and oh my God I'm starting to sound like Dr. Phil," Santana exclaimed as she sat back in her seat and shook her head.

Quinn on the other hand was busy processing what the Latina had said. She was right. This was new for Quinn, maybe slow was what she needed right now. The problem was, she didn't know how much longer she could do slow. She was developing feelings, deep feelings and she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold off on saying the 'L' word. I mean, she'd yet to have sex with her girlfriend and she was ready to declare her love for her. But how could she tell someone she loved them when they hadn't even been intimate together. Or maybe that's how it worked this time, maybe this wasn't the type of relationship where sex came before love. She just couldn't help feeling the flutter of butterflies when she thought of those brown eyes.

_Walking down the sidewalk Quinn and Rachel laughed as the blonde shared stories of her time in FBI boot camp, Rachel taking particular enjoyment out of the story where Santana lost a bet and streaked around the entire drill circuit before finally being caught by one of the on duty security guards and being sent to her superiors' office. The sound of the brunettes' laughter made Quinn smile. Their first date had been perfect, from the easy conversation they had shared over dinner to the ice cream they had opted to have for dessert from the gelato stand Rachel had recommended. It had all been fun and easy, just as Quinn liked it._

"_So, I've told you everything there is to know about me, my family, my job and you still haven't run away. I'll take that as a win. What about you, what's your story?" Quinn asked as they continued to stroll through the streets, making sure to avoid jay walkers. Rachel just jutted out her lower lip and shook her head, looking straight ahead. "No story. I moved here from Lima Ohio for college and I've been here ever since. I compose music for musicals with my writing partner Blaine, he's my best friend, we went to high school together and he came with me after graduation," Rachel explained as she wrapped her coat tighter around her. Quinn couldn't help but notice the gesture, to the brunette it probably meant nothing, but to the blonde agent, it was a sign of someone closing themselves off, of discomfort. _

"_What about your family, you know mom, dad, siblings?" Quinn asked, genuinely curious about where this woman came from. Rachel seemed to stiffen at the question glancing off to the side for a moment and inhaling a deep breath. "My parents are uh, they're dead. They died when I was kid, I, I don't have any siblings." Quinn tensed at what Rachel had said, her heart clenching in pain for the brunette walking next to her. Reaching out a hand she placed it on the shorter woman's arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Rachel, I'm so sorry," Quinn spoke softly, feeling like an ass for bringing up something that was obviously quite painful for her date._

"_It's not your fault you didn't know," Rachel said as she kept walking, her eyes never looking at the blonde walking next to her. "Just, please don't ask me how it happened. It's not something I'm comfortable talking about," Rachel stated and Quinn just nodded her head quickly. "Of course," she replied. "I'm sorry I don't mean to pry, I guess being an agent, I'm naturally inquisitive. You probably know it as foot in mouth syndrome," she joked and it seemed to ease some of the tension as Rachel giggled, just as they reached the brunette's apartment. Rachel moved to stand on the step and Quinn stood there, hands in her coat pockets._

"_I hope I haven't ruined any chance of a second date?" she asked, her cheeks flushing a little with nerves. Rachel glanced down the street and smiled before turning back to glance down at Quinn. "No, you haven't," she said through a small smile, ducking her head as she became somewhat bashful under the intense gaze of the hazel eyes that were watching her almost in admiration. The answer made Quinn beam with a smile, reaching up her hand she placed it under Rachel's chin and lifted it so the brunettes' eyes were locked with hers. _

_Moving to stand on the step she closed the gap between herself and the smaller woman, inching closer and closer, carefully studying Rachel's face for any sign of hesitance. She saw something in those brown eyes, she just wasn't sure what it was it wasn't resistance, but it wasn't excitement either. Again those secrets where swirling around in brown irises mocking Quinn, coaxing her to unlock them and she wanted to, badly. She wanted to know everything there was to know about Rachel Berry. When they were sharing the same breath, Quinn leaned in and pressed her lips to Rachel's and it was, amazing, better than she could have ever imagined. Once they separated, Rachel bid her a goodnight and when she was safely inside, Quinn moved to leave, a smile almost splitting her face in two. She couldn't wait for that second date._

"You know what, you're right. I need to chill out. Things are going great, I should just enjoy it and let things happen naturally," Quinn said as she sat back in her seat feeling a lot lighter now that she had a bit more clarity. This relationship was different, there was no need to rush anything and she would never pressure her girlfriend, she just needed to be patient. Besides her relationship was relatively new and they still had a lot to learn about each other. Unlike her previous girlfriends, who were open books, Rachel was like a locked diary. The only way it could be opened was with a key. In this case the key was trust.

She needed to allow Rachel the time to learn to trust Quinn completely, maybe then she would open up. Maybe then, they could move forward and the blonde would be able to say 'I love you' without feeling like it was too much too soon. Rachel knew everything there was to know about Quinn, now it was the brunette's turn to place her cards down and show Quinn her hand. Good or bad she didn't care, she just wanted to know Rachel, that wasn't a crime was it? It wasn't like this was just about sex, Quinn was happy to wait until her girlfriend was ready, she just couldn't help the curiosity that had been instilled within her since they first met.

Before she could get lost inside her head again, she could see movement from across the street out of the corner of her eye. The door just to the side of the building opened and that was enough to put Quinn into motion. Stepping out of the SUV she closed the door behind her and did a visual swoop of the surrounding area, making sure there wasn't any sign of shady characters hanging around the place late at night. When she was sure that things were fine she glanced back at the door and smiled when a petite brunette stepped outside, giving a hug to the doorman.

Rachel sensed eyes watching her from across the street and when she looked up she smiled back, glancing up and down at traffic, before making her way across the road when there was a lull and enough time to make it across safely. When she was in reaching distance, Quinn pulled Rachel into her arms and then leaned in, giving the brunette a soft chaste kiss. "Hey gorgeous," she said when they pulled apart. Rachel giggled, "Hey Superwoman," she replied making Quinn blush at the nickname the brunette had coined for her. The sound of gagging caught their attention and they both glanced into the car at the Latina, "Make me hurl," the Latina cried out in mock annoyance. Both women just laughed before they climbed into the car and they all headed for home.

**So what did you think, any good? I look forward to reading what you have to say.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Update. Thanks for the reviews and all the follows and favourites. I hope you like this chapter.**

**Warning: This chapter deals with murder, attempted murder and a hate crime. **

"Quinn wants me to meet her family," Rachel exclaimed as she plopped down onto the piano bench, Blaine looking at her quizzically from his position sitting on the stool next to the piano, tuning his guitar. When the brunette finally looked up at him from staring blankly at the far wall, Blaine rested his arms across the top of the wooden instrument. "And that's a bad thing?" he asked. Rachel shifted through the unfinished sheet music in front of her, thinking hard about the question her best friend posed.

"Yes, no, ughhh, I don't know," she huffed dropping the sheets onto her lap and lifting her hands to rub her temples. Blaine stood from his stool and walked over to the guitar stand, placing his instrument down, then walking back over to Rachel and sitting down next to her on the bench, wrapping his hands around tiny wrists and pulling Rachel's hands away from her head and turning her so that she was facing him. Brown eyes connected with hazel and they reminded Rachel of Quinn. Shaking her head, she pushed her girlfriend to the back of her mind and focused on Blaine, needing him to straighten out the thoughts in her head.

"Look, you and Quinn have been together now for going on six months, don't you think it's time you took this step? I mean, she wouldn't have asked you if she thought you were just some short term thing," Blaine reasoned. Having been friends with Rachel for close to two decades, the musician was well aware of the inner workings of her mind and how complicated she could be. He understood her better than anyone they were family to each other having both come from incredibly difficult upbringing's, they got each other, which was why Blaine could understand why Rachel was so conflicted and why Rachel knew he could help her to un-complicate things.

"It's not that simple," Rachel sighed, rubbing her brow. Glancing down at her lap she focused on silencing the rollercoaster of thoughts steam rolling through her brain worsening her already growing headache. A nudge to her shoulder forced her to just give up and lay it all bare, it was Blaine she was talking to, he knew everything about her, it wasn't like what she was about to say would shock him, in fact he would probably understand the reasoning behind Rachel's thoughts and actions. Inhaling a long deep breath and releasing it, Rachel lifted her head and gazed off into the distance.

"I haven't…. Quinn and I…. we haven't, s-slept together," Rachel stammered out, her hands fidgeting in her lap as she said the words. Blaine looked confused for a moment until his brain finally kicked into gear and he realised what Rachel actually meant. His mouth formed an O shape as he processed his thoughts, trying to figure out how to approach the subject with as much sensitivity as he possibly could. "Have…you….thought about, you know, sleeping, with Quinn?" he drawled, threading carefully in what he knew were choppy waters. Rachel scoffed, what sort of a question was that? Blaine may have been gay but he had two eyes, how could he not see how hot her girlfriend was?

"Of course I've thought about it, it's all I've thought about since, like, our third date, Quinn's gorgeous, who wouldn't want to sleep with her," she said, releasing a defeated sigh, turning to face Blaine with a look of anguish. Her best friend furrowed his brows as he glanced down at the piano keys, gently tapping on a couple as he sat there. "So if you want to sleep with her so bad why haven't you then? Does Quinn not want to?" he asked, dropping his hands from the piano keys to his lap. Rachel shook her head at his question.

"No, Quinn wants to, I know she wants to. Every time we make out I can practically feel the sexual frustration radiating off of her. I'm surprised she hasn't spontaneously combusted yet." Blaine chuckled lightly at the statement, cutting himself off when he received a glare from the young woman. Clearing his throat he swallowed and then continued with his questioning. "So what's the problem then? You've never had this much trouble sleeping with other girls, or guys even," he stated with a matter of fact tone. It was true, Rachel had slept with a number of men and women previously, but it was different with Quinn, much different.

"It's not the same. With them it never meant anything, it was just sex. But now, now…" Rachel trailed off, eyes falling to her lap. Suddenly Blaine understood what was going on and why Rachel was freaking out as he finished her train of thought for her. "Now there are deeper emotions attached and you're afraid that if she sees you, _really_ sees who you are that she'll run away," Blaine said, leaning his shoulder against Rachel's, watching as she ever so slightly nodded her head. A tear trailed down the brunette girls' tanned cheek and she quickly lifted a hand to wipe it away. Blaine wrapped his arm around her and gave her shoulders a squeeze, lowering his voice a little as he spoke softly.

"Maybe it's time that you opened up to Quinn. She has been completely honest with you about everything you've wanted to know about her, maybe it's time you started letting her in," he reasoned. Rachel looked up ready to argue her point but Blaine raised a finger to silence her. "Rachel, if you like Quinn, love her even, and from the way you're so freaked out about the thought of her leaving, I'm pretty sure you do, then it's time you stopped keeping her separate from your past and let her in. Otherwise, you will lose her."

Rachel looked at Blaine, her mouth hanging open slightly as if wanting to say something, but she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to brush off Blaine's comments because she knew he was right. If she wanted to keep Quinn she needed to be honest with her and open up. No more running away when things got too intimate or dodging and skirting around questions about her life before the blonde came along. Quinn had been so patient for so long, but everyone had a breaking point and if Rachel didn't find the courage to step up and be brave, she knew Quinn would soon reach hers. Rachel just hoped that Quinn loved her as much as she thought she did and that revealing herself to the blonde didn't drive her away.

Quinn pulled up outside of Rachel's apartment and inhaled deeply. Since her girlfriend had called asking her to come over, Quinn had been a bag of nerves. She was able to tell from Rachel's voice that whatever the brunette wanted to talk about was serious and Quinn was slightly scared that she was walking towards the end of a relationship. In the past, Quinn would have been fine with it, she probably would have even said thank you for cutting her loose, but things had changed. She didn't want to let go of Rachel. Maybe she shouldn't have brought up meeting her family. Stupid slow moving relationship conflicting with her own rapidly growing feelings, she thought as she turned off the ignition and climbed out of the car.

After pressing the lock button on the car keys, Quinn slipped them into the back of her suit jacket and then bounded up the steps to the door. Luckily someone was leaving at the same time so Quinn just slipped inside and stepped into the elevator, pressing the button for the tenth floor. The closer she got to Rachel's apartment the more intense her nerves became. She was pretty sure she could feel her heart beating from every fibre of her being. When she heard the ding, indicating that she had arrived on the floor, Quinn puffed out her cheeks as she blew out a breath to calm herself and then walked down the corridor, stopping right outside the white door. Once she knocked she stood there and patiently awaited her fate.

Hearing the sound of a knock from her bedroom, Rachel glanced in the mirror at herself, inhaling and exhaling through her nose. "You can do this," she told herself and then she exited the bedroom and walked down the hall to answer the door. Placing her hand on the doorknob, she twisted and pulled it open to reveal an anxious looking Quinn standing on the other side, dressed in her usual fitted black suit and white blouse. Rachel always wondered why Quinn and Santana dressed so smartly when they weren't required to wear suits and the blonde explained that it helped to keep things formal when conducting interviews with victims or eyewitnesses, as it could be difficult at times trying not to get emotionally involved in cases, the suits helped remind them they were on a job.

"Hey," Quinn said, breaking the silence. Rachel's lips quirked up at the corners as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Hi," she replied, "come in," Rachel stepped aside allowing the blonde to enter the apartment, neither of them missing how awkward things were compared to how it usually went when they visited one another's apartments. "Make yourself comfortable, I have a bottle of red wine in the kitchen, I'm just gonna grab some glasses," Rachel said as she pointed towards the kitchen. Quinn nodded and watched as the brunette walked out of sight.

Shrugging off her coat, she hung it on the back of a dining chair and then unbuttoned her cuffs, rolling up her sleeves to the elbow. Making her way over to the couch she sat down and placed her elbows on her knees, rubbing her face with her hands trying to expel the exhaustion from her body, she needed to be focused for this conversation. As she pulled her hands away from her face, her gaze fell upon a pill box sitting on the coffee table. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to read the name but it was upside down.

Quinn silently debated with herself as to whether or not she should be trying to read the box but her curiosity won out. Picking it up she turned it the right way around and read the label, _Lexapro_, wait, wasn't that an anti-depressant? As questions started formulating in Quinn's mind the sound of footsteps coming towards her and then stopping abruptly caught her attention. Glancing up, she looked like a deer caught in headlights when she saw Rachel staring at the box the blonde was still holding in her hands. From Rachel's expression Quinn could tell that she wasn't meant to have seen the pill box and that the brunette clearly hadn't meant to leave it out in the open.

"Rach, it's not… they were just," Quinn tried explaining herself but stopped when Rachel shook her head and moved forward, placing the two glasses of wine down on the coffee table and then removing the corked bottle from under her arm and placing it down beside them. Reaching out her hand, she took the box from Quinn and glanced at it for a second before putting it on the table as well. Sitting down she scratched her forehead and then looked to Quinn who was caught between apologising and asking a question.

"You weren't supposed to see those but, since you have, I might as well tell you now that they're part of the reason I called you over," Rachel said. Quinn sat forward a little, moving so she was closer to her girlfriend, placing a comforting hand on the brunettes' knee. "Look whatever it is, you can talk to me okay, no judgement. I want to support you, a-and, I know that you probably feel like you can't trust me yet to talk about your past, but I want you to know that you can Rach. You can trust me because I want to be with you, really want to be with you and I want you to feel like you can confide in me and, and feel comfortable around me. I just, I need you to know that," Quinn rambled, feeling like if this was her last chance, she needed to at least feel like she did something to try save their romance.

Rachel's eyes watered as she listened to Quinn speak, her brain thinking three different things. One, that it was cute to see the usually confident, charming savvy FBI agent rambling nervously, two, that she couldn't help the warm feeling that rested in her chest at how sincere and genuine Quinn was being and three, she couldn't believe how selfish she had been in keeping herself completely closed off when Quinn was so open and patient. When the blonde had stopped talking and was sitting there looking at Rachel with this look that was so soft and so full of concern, Rachel swallowed thickly and nodded her head to say that yes, she understood completely, and she sealed that by lacing her fingers with Quinn's and squeezing her hand.

"I know. That's why I called you," Rachel replied, her voice strained as she tried to speak around the lump that had formed in her throat. Quinn looked confused for a moment and when Rachel pulled on her hand, they both reclined back against the back of the couch, sitting sideways so they were facing one another, Quinn grabbing a hold of her girlfriends other hand so that she was holding onto both, so that she could remind Rachel that she was there for her and that she was prepared to listen. The brunette gazed down at their joined hands, basking in the feeling of comfort being offered to her even though her stomach was twisting in knots. But she needed to be honest and now was the time.

"I've been on and off anti-depressants most of my life, or at least since my early teens anyways, it's… they make it easier to cope with, well, life really," Rachel said and Quinn just bobbed her head, that answered her question about how long her girlfriend had been suffering from depression, that at least extinguished the idea that it wasn't a recent thing and she wasn't to blame, irrational yes but Quinn couldn't help thinking it. Her inner musings were cut short when the sight of a tear trailing down her girlfriends' cheek caught her attention. She knew better than to interrupt someone when they were in the middle of baring their soul, so she settled for shifting up the couch so that she was closer to Rachel, releasing a hold of one of her hands and placing her arm across the back of the couch almost cocooning the brunette in a safety zone.

"On our first date, I told you that my parents died," Rachel said and Quinn nodded her head to tell her she remembered. "That wasn't strictly true. They are dead, but they didn't just die, they were murdered." At this, Quinn's breathing seemed to stifle and catch in her chest, she was about to say something when Rachel beat her to it. "I was adopted. My birth mother didn't want me so I was adopted, by my two gay dads. Needless to say in a small conservative town like Lima this was deeply frowned upon. They were harassed and verbally assaulted regularly and when I was old enough they would direct their comments at me too." Quinn listened intently, disgusted that people would say mean and hurtful things to a small child.

"Some people wanted our family to move but my parents refused to give in to them. Anyways one night, when I was six, a group of men from an 'underground Christian supremacist' group pulled up at our house, doused it in petrol and set it on fire," Rachel recalled, her voice cracking and wavering as the memories pushed to the forefront of her mind, bringing back the heartbreak and pain. Quinn's eyes began to fill up with tears, she could feel herself getting angry just listening to what her girlfriend was telling her, she could literally feel the rage bubbling below the surface.

"By the time my dad's woke the house was already in flames. They tried to get me out of the house but they couldn't get to me and it was so hard to breathe. I got scared and tried to climb out of the window in my bedroom but the curtain rail caught fire and fell on me. I c-couldn't…. I couldn't get out," Rachel forced out as her tears started coming thick and fast, her anxiety growing as she felt herself being pulled right back to that time. "I-I called out to my dad's but they couldn't hear me, the curtain just seemed to wrap itself around me and I couldn't push it off. It burned so bad."

Quinn had to try so hard to force the bile from rising in her throat. She felt physically sick to the stomach. Under any other circumstances she probably would have asked how anyone could do such a thing, but working for the FBI brought her into direct contact with such heinous acts and far worse. But, to hear it coming from Rachel, a woman who was so sweet, who would literally give you the shirt off her own back if you asked for it, it hurt Quinn a great deal. That something so evil happened to someone she cared for so deeply. It literally pierced at Quinn's heart.

"Eventually I passed out from the pain and the next thing I know, I'm waking up alone in the hospital hooked up to all these machines," Rachel continued, her voice hoarse. "I learned later that I was rescued by one of the men from the group who figured that I was young enough to be "saved". They pulled me out and then watched as my dad's perished in the fire," Rachel spit bitterly. Ever since that day she had suffered from a bad case of survivor's remorse. "We had no other family to take care of me, so, when I was well enough to leave the hospital, I was put into the system and eventually I was fostered out."

A tear fell from Quinn's eye and she quickly wiped it away, now was not the time to cry because of how bad she was feeling, now was a time to comfort Rachel, to let her know that her past didn't change anything. Reaching forward Quinn cupped her girlfriends face in the palm of her hands and pressed their lips together, kissing her passionately, lovingly, and when she felt the brunette reciprocate, she continued, needing to feel the closeness, to feel like she was helping Rachel in some way. Before she knew what was going on, Rachel stood up and tugged on the blonde's hand.

Quinn, taking the hint, stood from the couch and followed behind as her girlfriend led her down the hall to the main bedroom. When they entered the room, Quinn closed the door behind her before she was pushed to sit on the edge of the bed. Rachel leaned down and kissed her, deepening it until Quinn pulled back and placed her hands on Rachel's arms. "Wait, Rachel we don't have to do this, not tonight. We can just talk or cuddle or whatever, I just, I don't want you to feel like you have to do this now after…," Quinn trailed off. Rachel gazed into her eyes and then ducked her head, catching her breath before straightening up and looking down at Quinn, their hands laced together.

"I'm not doing this because I feel like I have to after explaining everything. I'm doing this because I want to, because I've wanted to do it for so long, I've just…. I've been….afraid," Rachel explained, her voice dipping to a whisper as she ducked her head her cheeks flushed. Quinn leaned forward and raised her hand to lift her girlfriends chin so they were facing each other. "Afraid of what?" she asked softly, soothingly. Rachel gazed into hazel eyes and saw a warmth there that seemed to transfer into her and settled itself in her chest.

"Scared of you seeing me…. the _real_ me," Rachel responded, her voice wavering as she tried not to break down in tears again. Quinn cupped a flush cheek in her hand and stroked her thumb across it, wiping away the remaining tear residue. "Rach, there's something I need you to know, it's actually something I've been wanting to say for a while but I've been putting it off cause the timing never felt right. But now, now feels like the right time," Quinn said, her voice slightly shaky as she spoke, nerves trying to get the better of her.

"I love you, I'm_ in_ love with you and it scares me because I've never felt this strongly about someone before," she spoke honestly, Rachel gazing down at her in awe. Quinn grasped both of her girlfriends' hands in her own, gazing down at them before looking back up into watery brown eyes. "Nothing you say or do is going to scare me away. I want this Rachel, I want us and I need you to know that." Rachel's throat bobbed as she swallowed down her emotions a tear escaping because, wow, she wasn't expecting that from the blonde.

Taking a step back, Rachel placed her hands on the hem of the t-shirt she was wearing and hesitated for a moment, glancing at Quinn who was sitting on the bed watching her with a look that told her there was no pressure. Bunching the material in her hands, she slowly lifted the shirt up over her head and tossed it to the side. Without looking at her girlfriend, Rachel unbuttoned her jeans and shucked them off kicking them away until she was standing in nothing but a black bra and panty set.

Quinn's eyes roamed Rachel's body, settling on the extensive burn scars the littered Rachel's tummy area and her upper thighs. The skin on those areas ranged from a pinkish colour and even to a slightly red in some areas, contrasting greatly from the natural tan of Rachel's skin tone. There was a lot of scar tissue and Quinn could see the areas that had been healed with the help of skin-graphs. A whirlwind of emotions suddenly came over Quinn, anger at the men who had done this, pain at the thought of what the body standing in front of her had been through, pride at the thought that Rachel had survived this, and love for the woman standing in front of her opening up to her and trusting her.

Reaching out her hand Quinn grabbed a hold of Rachel's and tugged on it, pulling the brunette to her until she was nestled between her legs, and when she was close enough, Quinn leaned forward and pressed her lips to her girlfriends stomach, tracing them over the scarred skin, dropping delicate kisses. Something wet hit the back of her neck causing the blonde to break away, looking up she saw brown eyes staring down at her and Quinn couldn't help but wrap her arms around her girlfriend, pulling Rachel down onto her lap and holding her close.

"I love you too," Rachel whispered as she pressed her face into the crook of Quinn's neck, allowing her tears to fall, relief washing over her because Quinn hadn't rejected her. No, instead Quinn professed her love and held her in her arms. It overwhelmed Rachel in such a good way. For the first time ever, she felt safe and secure with another person who wasn't Blaine. When she felt lips pressing against the side of her head, she threw her arms around the blonde's neck and hugged her tight. Rachel knew there was still more to her story she needed to tell Quinn, but for now she was content just to be held and loved. The rest could wait.

**So what did you think? Please review, I'd love to hear your thoughts and reviews encourage and motivate me to update as quickly as possible. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews and follows. Authors note at the end. Please read.**

**Warning: Mentions of abuse.**

Stepping inside the dark theatre, Quinn walked down one of the aisles towards the stage, the two occupants sitting in the centre illuminated by the overhead set lights, creating a halo effect. Quinn took a seat in one of the middle rows, still having been unnoticed and sat back as Blaine began playing the opening notes of a song on his guitar. After a couple of beats of just Blaine strumming out a melody, Rachel joined in softly on the piano and once they passed the musical introduction Rachel added her voice, Quinn sitting back and allowing the beauty of it to wash over her.

When the brunette held the note and slowly faded her voice out, Blaine picked up on his cue. He was a good singer, not quite as polished as Rachel, but good enough to hold his own against the woman with a voice touched by God himself. Both singers fell into flawless harmonise for the chorus with practiced ease, it was obvious to anyone who listened to them that they had been singing together for quite some time. They knew one another's strengths and weakness and how to work that to their advantage. It was amazing to listen to and to watch.

As the song picked up, Quinn couldn't help but fall in love with the beauty of the lyrics, they rather perfectly summed up how she felt about Rachel, but at the same time she couldn't help feeling that Rachel wasn't living up to her full potential. She had a beautiful voice and yet she hid it away for only a select few to hear. Quinn felt privileged that she was one of those lucky people, but Rachel had a voice that was meant to be heard. It saddened the blonde to think that other performers and artists were out there singing the brunettes songs when she could be on a stage singing them herself to a large audience. It just didn't seem right.

When the song came to a soothing end Quinn clapped, a beaming smile on her face. Rachel and Blaine turned to face out into the empty row of seats to find the blonde walking towards the stage. Blaine smiled at her and gave her a small wave while Rachel sat on the piano bench, hands grasping the edges of her seat as her cheeks flushed red, feeling bashful that her girlfriend had heard them singing that particular song. Blaine stood from his stool and walked over to his guitar case, packing away the instrument as Quinn climbed the steps making her way over to Rachel.

"That was beautiful," she said, and Rachel smiled and bowed her head, feeling awkward with the compliment, not because she didn't like it, but because she wasn't used to it from anyone who wasn't her writing partner or whoever was paying her. When she looked back up she found herself being pulled into a kiss, she gasped at first contact, slightly stunned, but when that comforting familiarity kicked in, she kissed back just as passionately. Quinn pulled away and smiled when her eyes connected with gorgeous deep brown irises.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked holding out her hand and helping her girlfriend to stand from the piano bench. Rachel nodded her head as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I just have to put away this sheet music and grab my things from the green room backstage," she said as she gathered up the pages, thanking Blaine as he walked over handing her his sheets that had been perched on the music stand next to his stool. Both watched on as the smaller woman walked off the stage towards the wing and then turned to face each other.

"Could you give me a hand moving this?" he asked, gesturing to the Steinway grand piano. Quinn nodded, "Sure," she said, pushing the sleeves of her long black coat up a little as she watched Blaine unlock the wheels and when he stood up, they both pushed the piano off to the side of the stage behind the curtain. Once it was in its place, Blaine locked the wheels and they both walked back out onto the stage. Quinn gazed out at the empty rows of seats, admiring the architecture of the building. It was a modern building but it had many features of an old classic theatre, just with better acoustics.

"She wrote that song about you," Blaine's voice said from behind her as he stood from the ground, guitar case in hand having made sure it was locked securely. Quinn turned to face him, a look of surprise on her face. "Me?" she asked, not quite believing him. Blaine nodded his head, a sparkle in his eye. "She's never written a song about anyone before, at least not anyone directly involved in her life. I just thought you should know that." Quinn couldn't help the way her lips quirked up into a smile, nodding her head so he would know that she understood.

"Rachel told me about her past," she said and when she saw that Blaine didn't look at all surprised, she realised that he must have been the one to encourage Rachel to open up. "I guess, I just want you to know, I'm not going to hurt her or walk out on her. I really care about her Blaine. I know you're like a brother to her so I just thought I should tell you that. I love her and regardless of what happened back then, I'm not going anywhere." Hazel eyes locked with hazel and when Blaine saw the sincerity that Quinn's eyes held, he nodded.

"I'm glad to hear it," he replied shoving his free hand into his jacket pocket as they both made their way down the stage steps, heading towards the main door to wait for Rachel. Dan the security guard was still hanging around so they knew the brunette would be fine to catch up to them. "Rachel and I had a really hard time when we were kids. Growing up in foster care, it's not like those loving environments you see on tv." Quinn nodded her head in acknowledgement, a couple of strands from her side fringe falling into her eyes. She knew from her job what foster homes were like. Too often young children were put in homes that were overrun with too many kids in them to the point many of them were often ignored or left to their own devices.

"I still remember getting a backhand across the face for coming home like five minutes later than I was supposed to," Blaine continued. Quinn flinched at the comment and stopped in her tracks, her heart stuttering in her chest, "Wait…. what?" she asked, her voice shaky, almost as if she was afraid to even ask the question. She knew Rachel and Blaine had met in foster care and that piece of information haunted her now because, if Blaine was in an abusive home… her thoughts trailed off as she saw the man in question looking at her in confusion.

"Quinn, how much did Rachel tell you the other night?" he asked. The blonde ran a hand through her hair, resting it on the back of her neck when she had reached the ends of her silky locks. She shook her head a little to clear her head and then looked up, trying to blink away the tear residue that she could feel was building behind her eyes. "Um, she uh, she told me about her dad's and the fire and about being put into foster care, but nothing, nothing about, about uh…" Quinn trailed off, unable to form the right words to continue.

Blaine's mouth seemed to hang open, his eyes wide realising that he had just put his foot so far in his mouth it was almost down his throat. Turning to face the stage where he knew Rachel would soon be appearing from, he turned back to Quinn, the blonde's gaze fixed on the floor. "I think you and Rachel need to talk some more," Blaine said, his voice low to the point that, even if other people had been around, only Quinn would have heard him. The blonde looked up and dipped her head in recognition of how true that statement was.

Just as Quinn was about to get carried away in her own thoughts, footsteps making their way across the stage and down the steps pulled her from inside her own head. Blaine waved goodbye at the brunette that was making her way quickly up the aisle and then mouthed a goodbye to Quinn before leaving through the door. Rachel came to a stop in front of the blonde, her brows furrowing at her girlfriends stoic face. Reaching up a hand she placed it on Quinn's upper arm and squeezed it in a bid to offer comfort.

"Hey, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," Rachel said with small smile tugging on her lips trying to lighten the mood. Quinn gazed up into brown eyes and it felt like a rush of blood to the chest, warming her up from the inside out. She reached out and took a hold of Rachel's hands, rubbing her thumbs against the soft skin they came into contact with. "Blaine was talking about his experiences growing up in foster care," Quinn said, leaving the statement open ended, hoping Rachel would take the bait.

The brunette inhaled sharply at what her girlfriend had said, breaking eye contact, she glanced towards the door that Blaine had just exited through and then bowed her head. "How much did he say?" she asked, but never looked her girlfriend in the eye when she said it. Quinn gently tugged on Rachel's hands to try and coax the brunette to look at her but she realised her attempts were futile. Rachel was feeling vulnerable and holding eye contact was just too intimate to do at that moment. "Enough to send my curiosity into overdrive," Quinn replied, ducking her head so her gaze was more level with her girlfriends.

Releasing her hold on Rachel's hands, Quinn lifted hers to cup tanned cheeks in her palms, forcing Rachel to look her in the eye so she could see the love there and know that the blonde just wanted to help lift the weight that was pressing down on Rachel's shoulders, probably since she was a small child. She just wanted to help, to comfort, to love. "I just wanna know you Rach," Quinn whispered, before leaning down and pressing her lips to her girlfriends to seal the conviction behind the words. When they pulled apart Rachel looked up at her and softly nodded. "Okay."

Back at Quinn's loft, the two women were curled up on the couch, Rachel nestled securely in the blondes arms, both of them with their legs tucked up on the couch, a blanket sprawled across their laps and two glasses of red wine sitting on the table in front of them. Soft music was playing in the background, just loud enough to filter through the room to fill the silence. Rachel was rather grateful for it, music always relaxed her, calmed her, helped her to clear her head and focus. As she sat there on the couch, with Quinn's arms wrapped around her waist, the blondes' thumbs slipping under the hem of her shirt rubbing soothing circles on her marred skin, she felt safe enough to share the rest of her story.

"You already know that Blaine and I met in foster care," Rachel said, her voice low, as if she were in a room full of people that might eavesdrop on their conversation. Quinn hummed, continuing to stroke the skin of Rachel's torso under her shirt. "We were eight when we first met, we clicked straight away. He was the first kid our age who didn't make fun of me because of my scars," Rachel said, teardrops falling from her eyes as she recalled the name calling and the comparisons to Freddie Krueger. "He looked out for me and I looked out for him, we became a pair, everywhere he went I went and vice versa."

Quinn hugged Rachel closer, her arm muscles flexing at the motion. She knew what she was about to hear wouldn't be pleasant, but at the same time, she couldn't help but be thankful that Blaine had been there for Rachel throughout their childhood. Quinn didn't know Blaine that well on a personal level, they'd only really hung out when Rachel was present, but from what she saw of their relationship she liked him. He treated Rachel like she was the most important person in the world and in Quinn's eyes that made him a good guy in her book.

"When we were 13, we got put into this home with two other kids who were a little older than us. As soon as our care worker left, we knew we'd just be dropped off in hell," Rachel said, tilting her head back until it touched the back of the couch, smiling bitterly at the memory before lowering her head back down. Reaching forward, she picked up her wine glass and took a healthy swig of the red liquid and then placed the glass down as she nestled herself back in Quinn's arms.

"It started off with just small things, a little tap across the arm if we didn't finish everything on our dinner plate, maybe some name calling if they were feeling particularly annoyed." Quinn's brow furrowed as she listened to the story, except it wasn't a story, these were real events that happened to her girlfriend when she was just a child and it made her feel awful, worse than she had ever felt after a particularly bad case. Rachel reached up a hand pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear before dropping her hand and resting it on her girlfriends' forearm that was wrapped around her waist.

"Then one night, I was cleaning the dishes and I dropped one of the plates. It was an accident but my foster mom didn't care. It was the first time she locked me in the cupboard under the stairs," Rachel's voice caught in her throat, the last part coming out in a harsh whisper. Quinn's arms tensed around the smaller woman as she tried to keep her composure. Rachel brushed her hand across her cheek to wipe away a tear.

"That's when things started to get worse. The little taps across the arm became slaps across the face or a punch in the gut. The name calling turned into teasing and reminders that we were worthless and unloved," she said in a defeated tone. Quinn, feeling like she would lose control of the anger she felt towards the people who had dared to raise a hand to her girlfriend, leaned forward and pressed her nose against Rachel's temple before kissing her girlfriend on the side of the head and resting her forehead there, feeling herself becoming calm at the contact.

"Needless to say after several hospital visits, I really honed my acting abilities. Lying became second nature, I was klutz and that was it. Nobody ever questioned it," Rachel sighed, remembering the doctors who would listen to her stories, praying they would take her away from the nightmare she had been living in. But they never did. The system was corrupt and overflowing with kids who needed a placement. If they took Rachel or Blaine out, they would just replace them with other kids who would suffer needlessly at the hands of her horrible foster parents. It was the only thing that stopped Rachel from raising the red flag, she didn't want other kids to have to go through what she had had to go through on a daily basis.

"How did you survive it?" Quinn asked, sounding genuinely amazed that Rachel had come through such an upbringing the way she had. Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "Because I had to I guess," she replied, lacing her fingers with her girlfriends. "I didn't have any other choice. If I gave up what would have happened to Blaine? We kept each other going and as soon as we graduated high school, I took my inheritance from Dad's, the insurance money from the fire and whatever savings we had and we took off for the city. We've been here ever since."

Quinn shook her head to rid herself of the disbelief she felt at what she had heard. She was literally awestruck at the story, she had never known someone with such strength before. For Rachel to have been able to survive what she had endured throughout her childhood, it literally took Quinn's breath away. Removing her arms from around her girlfriends waist she brought them up around the brunettes shoulders and pulled her into her arms, hugging her close and burying her nose into soft locks of dark hair.

"Why didn't you just tell me all this before Rach?" Quinn asked in a hushed voice, afraid to speak any louder since she was so close to her girlfriends ear. Rachel just shook her head. "I dunno, I guess, you come from such a nice normal upbringing, I was afraid if you knew the truth that I wouldn't fit into your perfect world. I'm damaged goods," the last part coming out in a whisper. Quinn balked at the statement, stunned that Rachel could think such a thing, although understanding where that thought would have come from.

"Rachel you are _not_ damaged goods!" Quinn emphasised her point by wrapping her arms tighter around the smaller woman. "You've been through so much, more than I can bear to think about but you are not damaged. A damaged person wouldn't be where you are now. You are the kindest, sweetest, most courageous person I know. You've built a strong career and created a stable life for yourself, you couldn't have done that if you were damaged," Quinn said, her tone strong and steady.

"And you fit into my life perfectly. You're patient with me, you care about me, you ask me how my day was and listen even if it was boring as hell," Quinn said through a light chuckle. "You inspire me with your talent and your grace every day and I know for a fact, that as soon as my family meets you, they will love you just as much as I do, baggage and all." Rache; gazed up into hazel eyes, needing to see the truth in those words, and it was right there, staring back at her in the twinkle of the blondes eye. Nodding her acknowledgment at those words, Rachel leaned her head down against Quinn's chest and found comfort in the strong heartbeat thumping against her cheek. This was her perfect home.

The next day Quinn made her way through the corridors of the FBI office building. As she closed in on the open office below the watchful eye of the Chief's office, where desk was she was suddenly ambushed by Santana who spotted her through the visors of the kitchen window as she was passing. "There you are, I've been meaning to talk to you," Santana said as they both continued walking until they reached their desks which happened to be across from each other. Quinn sat down and placed her takeaway coffee cup on her desk as she took off her suit jacket and placed it around the back of her leather swivel chair.

"Oh yeah, why's that?" she asked, logging onto her computer and then taking a sip from coffee. Santana picked up a file from desk and walked around to perch herself on Quinn's. "I've doing some background checks on your lady lover and…," Santana was cut off as Quinn raised her hand. "You did WHAT?!" the blonde shouted earning her looks from her colleagues. Santana gave them all a placating smile and then turned back to the blonde holding up the file. "It's okay Q, she's clean." Quinn just shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"That's not the point. San I told you I didn't want to Rachel's privacy like that. I'm a profiler I know a criminal when I see one and Rachel doesn't fit the bill," Quinn said, annoyance laced in her tone. "Besides, we talked and Rachel told me everything, so your little background check was pointless." Santana just looked at her with pointed glare. "Well hell Q why didn't you say so. I wouldn't have bothered my sweet ass doing this if I'd known that." Before Quinn could respond Mike walked in carrying a coffee and a Krispy Kreme box in his other hand.

"Breakfast ladies?" he asked holding out the box. Both women smiled, their mouths literally watering as Santana opened the box and they both picked up their favourites, wrapping them in a paper handkerchief to prevent their fingers from getting sticky. "Mike, if I were straight I would marry you, you beautiful, beautiful man," Quinn moaned as she took another bite for her doughnut. Mike just laughed, stopping when Melinda, the office gofer interrupted. "Chief wants you all in the conference for a case meeting. The trio nodded and gathered themselves up and headed across the office and up the stairs into the conference room.

Quinn, Mike and Santana took a seat as Brody Weston and Sam Evans joined the fray, sitting the opposite side of the desk. Cassandra July walked into the room, a stack of files in her hand and began handing them out. "Alright Rugrats," she said, a reference to the fact that this was the youngest task team in the BAU. " Here's your next case. Read it, familiarise yourself with it, absorb every bit of information you can from it. You'll be leaving for New Hampshire within the hour," she said as she picked up an iPad and then switched on the main monitor in the room.

"Good morning everyone," a gruff f voice said as a middle aged man entered the room. "Morning Chief," four out of the five agents responded with. "Morning Dad," Quinn said with a cheeky grin, eyes never leaving the file in her lap. Russell huffed a laugh as he sat down in the chair at the head of the desk. "When are you going to stop calling me Dad at work?" he asked as he accepted the file Cassandra handed him. Quinn glanced up at him. "I don't know, when do you plan to retire from being my Dad?" she asked, giving him a challenging eyebrow. Everyone just laughed at the pair used to their back and forth banter. "Alright, let's get down to business."

**Okay so here's the deal. I will be returning to college in mid-September for my last year. This means lots of final year work like my thesis, projects etc. Because of this I will be pressured for time to commit to other things, like updating this. What this means is, I won't be able to update as frequently as I have been. So I will need you all to bear with me. **

**This means I'm going to need lots of motivation to keep going so please review and thanks for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks again for all the reviews and follows I really appreciate it. I hope you like this update and please review.**

**I based Quinn's sister Fran off of Hilarie Burton and her characterisation is based around Hilarie's guest stint in Grey's Anatomy. Fran's husband is based on Donnie Wahlbergs appearance and characterisation in Blue Bloods.**

**Also I forgot to mention in the last chapter, the song I imagined Rachel writing for Quinn is 'Just A Kiss' by Lady Antebellum, the acoustic version. It's a really good track.**

Rachel was a bag of nerves, she couldn't stop her hands from fidgeting in her lap as she gazed out the car window, watching the world pass her by. Quinn briefly glanced away from the road to check on her girlfriend who had been incredibly quiet for the duration of the car journey. Turning her eyes back on the road, Quinn freed one hand from the steering wheel, reached across the centre console and grabbed a hold of one of the brunettes shaking hands, lacing their fingers together and squeezing it tight.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked, quickly looking to the side again after an oncoming car had passed her. Rachel turned suddenly from gazing out the window, startled out of her thoughts, but the gentle smile on Quinn's face eased her worries and she smiled back. "Y-yeah, I'm okay. I'm just nervous I guess. I've never met anyone's parents before and I really want to make a good first impression for you." Quinn couldn't help but be amazed that her girlfriend was concerned about doing things right for the blonde to make her happy, rather than looking good herself. The brunette really was something else.

"Rach you don't need to do anything for me. I love you, my family will adore you. They're so excited to meet you, and this is a pretty big deal for me to," Quinn said shrugging her shoulders. Rachel looked at her curiously, she knew her girlfriend had been in some long term relationships before, she assumed this would be second nature to the blonde by now. But with the reddening of Quinn's cheeks, maybe her assumptions weren't entirely accurate. "Why are you nervous? They're your family," Rachel replied, the shake in her hands ceasing as the flow of conversation occupied her mind. Quinn glanced at her for a second and then focused on the road.

"This is the first time I've actually wanted to bring anyone home to meet my parents," Quinn admitted shyly. She noticed her girlfriend's eyebrows furrowing out of the corner of her eye, so, swallowing thickly she continued to explain. "Usually, when I've been in relationships before, my Mom would be the one to instigate the meetings or my ex's would. They wanted it more than I did and it was generally a pretty good indication for me to know how committed I really was," she said as she released her hold on Rachel's hand so she could flick on the indicator and take the turn down the street where her family home was located. When she was safely on the street, she grabbed a hold of the tan hand again.

"But this, this is different. I have wanted to bring you home to meet my family for so long. I'm actually really, really excited that it's finally happening," Quinn said, pulling up outside a huge white house with a black door. Rachel's eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw it, it looked like a palace. Looking further down the street, she noticed that all the houses seemed to be the same. It was clearly an affluent neighbourhood, upper middle class at the very least. Turning back to face Quinn, the blonde was turned in her seat watching her so Rachel angled her body towards her and watched on as Quinn laced their hands together.

"I finally get to have all the people I care about the most under one roof and that means a lot to me. So thank you for doing this," Quinn finished raising Rachel's hands to her lips and kissing them. The brunette blushed and ducked her head, feeling bashful under the intense gaze of hazel eyes. Looking over her shoulder at the house that seemed to loom over the car like a giant shadow, Rachel inhaled deeply and then released it. When she turned back to Quinn, the blonde was smiling and squeezing her hand. "You ready?" the agent asked and Rachel could only dip her head slightly to confirm that she was prepared to face the Fabray family.

Quinn stepped out of the car first, walking around to the passenger side and opening the door, offering her hand to Rachel who accepted it and stepped out onto the curb. Quinn kept their hands locked together and closed the car door with her free hand then pressed the lock button on her car keys. She shot a reassuring smile at Rachel and then they made their way up the path to the front door. Just as Quinn was about to produce a key so they could let themselves in, the large black door swung open.

"Hey, you finally made it." Rachel watched on as Quinn embraced a woman who was a similar age and had the same facial shape, same hazel eyes and the same short hair, though Quinn's was much blonder. Quinn pulled back from the embrace and faced Rachel taking a hold of her hand. "Rach, this is my sister Fran, Fran, this, is Rachel," she said. Rachel's lips quirked up into a smile as she held out her hand so she could shake Fran's. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she responded. Fran snorted and looked to Quinn. "You got yourself a woman with manners, I like her. We don't shake hands around here sweetie. Far too formal, we hug. Now c'mere," Fran said opening her arms out for Rachel.

The brunette was a little stunned at first, awkwardly trying to figure out what to do, she eyed Quinn who was watching the pair fondly and mouthed at her that it was okay and then Rachel relaxed, hugging Fran back just as enthusiastically. Fran stepped back from the hug but kept one arm around Rachel's shoulders. "Come on, let's go meet the rest of the family," she said, stepping inside, Quinn and Rachel following right behind. They both removed their coats and Fran took them, hanging them on the coat rack by the door. Rachel watched her until a voice caught her attention.

"Quinn you're here," Judy Fabray said as she stepped into the foyer welcoming her daughter into a hug and pressing a kiss to her cheek. Rachel couldn't help but notice how beautiful all three Fabray women were. Clearly Fran and Quinn inherited their looks from their mother, though Fran seemed to have dyed her hair a darker shade of blonde to the other two women. Judy glanced over her daughters shoulder and separated herself from Quinn. Rachel stood in place as the woman approached, afraid to make any sudden movements.

"And you must be Rachel. Quinn talks about you all the time," Judy smiled, pulling Rachel into a hug. The brunette couldn't help but think that the Fabray family were very affectionate, it was strange. She wasn't used to seeing families being so loving towards each other, at least not up close. It made her slightly envious. Judy stood back and glanced at the three women. "Come through to the living room, Russell and John are watching some baseball game. I'll grab us some drinks, Rachel what would you like?." Rachel bobbed her mouth up and down finding it difficult to speak around her nerves. Suddenly she heard Fran whisper in her ear.

"Go for the Chardonnay, Mom loves to make a fuss when we have visitors and water is such a lame response." Rachel found herself smiling, grateful for the insight from her girlfriends' older sister. "I'll have a glass of wine please, if it's not too much trouble," Rachel asked politely. Judy beamed at the response. "Of course, I'll go fix it up and be right in." As Judy made her way back towards the kitchen, Fran and Quinn giggled at her retreating back before Quinn took a hold of her girlfriends hand and squeezed it then leaned down to press a kiss to Rachel's lips.

"She already loves you, I can tell," Quinn whispered as they followed Fran to the living room. When they stepped inside, they found Russell Fabray and John Reagan sitting on the couch sipping from their beer bottles and watching the Yankees and Red Sox game. Quinn leaned down over the back of the couch and pressed a kiss to her fathers' cheek, saying a quick hello alerting him to her presence and then she walked around to the stand in front of him, Rachel standing by her side waiting anxiously for the introductions to be done with.

"Quinn," he beamed standing up from the couch and swapping the beer bottle to his left hand and then turning his attention to the brunette. "And you must be Rachel, it's a pleasure to meet you," he said, shaking her hand. Rachel smiled back," It's a pleasure to meet you too sir," she replied and Russell waved his hand. "Now less of the sir, I get enough of that in work. Just call me Russell," he responded. John came up from behind and Russell stood back, placing a hand on the man's shoulder.

"And this is my son-in-law John, he's a Detective working for the NYPD," he said and John took a hold of Rachel's hand shaking before leaning down and placing a kiss on her cheek, he was a good looking, slightly rugged guy. His was cut tight and he wore the five o'clock stubble. "It's nice to meet you," he said. Fran walked over to the stairs and called out to her children. "Hey, kids, come down here and say hello to you aunt Quinn and her friend Rachel." As soon as Fran had finished speaking, three sets of footsteps came bounding down the steps, a young blonde girl and two younger sandy haired identical twin boys. The children ran over to Quinn and tackled her in a hug and she hugged them back just as tight.

"Rachel, these are my children, that's my daughter Casey, and my sons Josh and Alex," Fran said pointing to them as she spoke. The little girl was no more than five and the boys were about three years old. Quinn leaned down on her haunches and smiled at her niece and her nephews. "Guys I want you to meet Rachel," she said, looking up at the brunette. Casey offered up her hand for Rachel to shake and smiled shyly at her, "It's nice to meet you," a small childlike voice said and Rachel shook her hand gently and smiled right back also getting down on her haunches so she was level with the children and looked less threatening.

"Is she your guwlfwiend?" Alex asked, giggling at Quinn like a schoolboy. The blonde laughed and nodded her head. "Yeah, she is buddy," Quinn replied, playfully tossing both boys spiked up hair. Alex and Josh turned to Rachel and said 'hi' and once the introductions were done Fran sent them on their way to the playroom until dinner. Quinn pulled Rachel down onto the couch with her and Fran took a seat next to John while Russell took a seat in one of the twin armchairs. "You have beautiful children," Rachel said to Fran and John who thanked her and then exchanged a look.

"They're not always like that. They're trained up to be polite in front of company but as soon as they get home those little halo's get tossed in the back of the closet and replaced with devil horns," John said with a grin on his face. Rachel looked at Quinn and smiled, this was nice, this was easy, maybe she could do this after all. As the conversation continued, Judy walked into the room with three glasses of Chardonnay and three bottles of beer on a tray. She handed Fran and Rachel a glass of wine each both thanking her and then handed Quinn a beer who looked ready to protest.

"Don't give me that I'm driving nonsense, it's one beer and it will be well out of your system by the time you leave here tonight," Judy argued giving her youngest daughter a pointed glare. Quinn sighed and accepted the beer taking a swig from the bottle. For the rest of the evening, Rachel heard many storied about Quinn and Fran growing up and even found she had established quite a bond with John over their joint love of the Yankees and Giants. During dinner, when the family asked her questions so they could get to know her, she found herself glancing briefly at Quinn who would give her a look that told her she only needed to share what she was comfortable with.

So she did, she talked about her job as a songwriter, about her brief time as a student at NYADA before transferring to Julliard to focus solely on music and about her best friend Blaine. She also talked about this little bar 'Puck's where she often hung out, John and Rachel making a date to grab drinks there with Quinn and Fran so they could catch the Rangers hockey game on the big screen. It was all going well, until Judy had asked Rachel about her family. The question had silenced Rachel and Quinn rested her hand on her girlfriends' thigh squeezing it, quietly telling her that she didn't have to answer the question. Quinn had never shared anything about Rachel's past with her family, as far as she was concerned it was Rachel's business and it was up to her what she was willing to share.

"Um, I was adopted. My dad's were killed in a house fire when I was six, I never knew my birth parents," Rachel said, her voice soft as she spoke. Quinn grabbed a hold of her girlfriends' hand lacing their fingers together and then leaned over and pressed a kiss to the brunette's temple. Judy placed her hand on her chest, feeling guilty for asking the question in the first place. "Rachel, I am so sorry. If I'd known…" Judy trailed off. Rachel just shook her head and waved off the comment. "It's fine Judy, you didn't know."

Russell sat with his elbows on the table, hands clasped together with his chin resting upon them. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, when he heard Rachel explain about her father's he could help but feel like she was familiar somehow. It was strange, or maybe he was just projecting one of his old cases onto the young brunette and his mind was playing tricks with him. Either way, Rachel intrigued him, for some reason he felt protective of this girl and he'd only just met her. Before he could get lost in thought, Judy made a move to clear up the table and Rachel pulled back her chair.

"Let me help you with that," she said standing so that she could help gather the dishes. Judy held up a hand, a smile on her face. "Oh, no sweetheart it's fine. You're our guest." But Rachel just shook her head and put out a hand gesturing for the plates in the elder woman's hands. "Please, let me help. It's the least I can do." Seeing that the brunette wasn't going to give take no for an answer, Judy handed over the plates and then picked up the remaining one's on the table and they both made their way into the kitchen.

While washing the dishes, the women talked in depth about her song writing, Judy seemed genuinely interested and was also eager to meet Blaine. From the way Rachel talked about him, he seemed like a really lovely man. Meanwhile in the living room, Quinn was sat on the couch talking with her sister, father and brother in law. The trio gave the blonde the seal of approval on Rachel, Fran declaring that she couldn't wait to be bridesmaid at the wedding, making the younger smile shyly at the thought.

"How did the case go in New Hampshire? I haven't had a chance to read Cassie's report yet, but from what I heard, a certain daughter of mine came very close to crossing line that could have had serious repercussions," Russell said, raising an eyebrow at Quinn. The blonde rolled her eyes, she knew her father would bring that up at some point, however she really wished he wouldn't bring it up with Rachel in the house. "Dad, can we not do this right now, please," she asked, taking a sip from her coffee. Russell sat forward in his seat perching his elbows on his knees.

"Quinn, I know it was a tough case, that little girl was scared and alone and I can understand you wanting to get justice for her, but physically assaulting the suspect in remand, do you know how much trouble you could have gotten in if anyone other than Cassie had been there to witness it," Russell reprimanded. It wasn't that he particularly cared, God knows he himself had battered a few criminals in his time, but he cared about his daughters career and didn't want to see her lose it to a momentary lapse in judgement brought on by heightened emotions.

"I get it okay. I made a mistake I'm sorry, I just," Quinn stopped, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "He killed that little girls' parents. She was so scared and he was just sitting there mocking the entire thing and for a minute I lost it." Fran spotted Judy and Rachel standing in the doorway between the living room and the dining room and sat forward putting down her glass of wine. "Guys maybe you should finish this conversation another time. Quinn looked to Fran and turned her head in the direction Fran had pointed to with her eyes. When she spotted her girlfriend standing there looking like the wind had been knocked out of her she scolded herself internally. She hadn't told Rachel about the case, fearing it hit a little too close to home and now she had just heard the entire thing.

"Rach," Quinn said standing from the couch. The brunette just plastered a smile on her face and gestured towards the doors that led to the back of the house. "I'm just gonna go grab some air." When the brunette walked out the back, Quinn followed after, leaving her family to watch on confused. As Quinn stepped outside, she closed the door behind them and then looked to Rachel who was standing a few feet away, arms folded across her chest. Quinn made her way over to her girlfriend and stood next to her.

"Is that why you didn't tell me about the case when I asked the other day, because, because it reminded you of me?" Rachel asked, looking up to the blonde with watery eyes. Quinn looked down at the ground and then looked back up at brown eyes, nodding slightly and then moved to wrap her arms around the smaller woman. "I just, I thought if I told you, it would bring up memories of what happened and I didn't want you to have to deal with that pain again," Quinn said. Rachel toed the ground, kicking it gently and then turned around so her front was against Quinn's and looked up at hazel eyes that were watching her with worry.

"Did you really assault that guy?" she asked licking her dry lips. Again Quinn nodded and Rachel thought for a moment, "why?". Quinn exhaled a shaky breath unsure of how her girlfriend would take what she was about to say, knowing that the brunette was against any violence that was committed in any way other than self-defence, but she promised to be honest with Rachel, always, and she wasn't about to break that promise now. "Because, because she reminded me of you," she whispered, staring directly into those brown eyes dreamed of every night.

"I saw that little girl sitting in this chair at the police station and all I could think about was what you went through when you were a kid. She lost the only family she had just like you did and I lost it. When I talked to the suspect he just kept bragging about what he had done and I picture the men who had hurt you and I just, I snapped and I hit him again and again. My supervising agent had to pull me off him," Quinn said glancing away in shame. Rachel digested the words for a moment basking in the silence and the night air before reaching up and cupping Quinn's cheek in her palm.

"Don't apologise for being human Quinn. I get why you did it, I do. But I don't need you to fight the ghost of my past." Quinn looked up ready to make a point about how she just wanted to keep Rachel safe, but the brunette just placed a finger over the blondes' lips. "I know you want to protect me, but you can't do that by being stuck in the past. If you want to help me then do what you've been doing, help me to keep moving forward. That's what I want, that's what I need. I love you and I want us to work out, so please, just, stop trying to chase down my demons and run towards me instead."

Quinn thought about Rachel had said and she was right. Ever since the brunette had opened up about her past, Quinn had been trying to exorcise those demons. To banish them so that the brunette was free, but she couldn't afford to that in her job because she would just end up taking it out on every criminal she came face to face with, hoping for the day she would face the person who inflicted pain on Rachel so she could do the same to them. No, she had to let it go. If Rachel could live her life without looking over her shoulder every day, then Quinn could stop too.

"Okay," Quinn said as she rested her forehead against Rachel's and then basked in the feeling of their lips connecting as Rachel kissed her. After another couple of soft pecks on the lips, the girls made their way inside, Rachel apologising while Quinn stood with her arms wrapped around the brunettes waist from behind. "Hey don't worry about it. I'm a paediatric doctor I'm used to dealing tense situations," Fran said from her place on the couch. Quinn glared at her and kicked her on the shin. "Ow! What? She's gonna have to get used to teasing if she's going to be a part of the family," Fran said smiling at Rachel as she spoke.

Rachel smiled back at her and Quinn beamed from her place behind her girlfriend, mouthing a thank you to her sister who just tipped her glass in acknowledgement. "Anyways, we better hit the road, it's getting late," Quinn said as she disentangled herself from Rachel. Everybody stood up saying their goodnights to both girls and Judy made Quinn and Rachel promise to join them for Sunday dinner, even extending an invitation for Blaine to accompany them. With one final round of hugs the girls hit the road, Rachel having been fully accepted into the Fabray fold and she couldn't have been happier.

**So please review, I really love hearing what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Again, thank you for the reviews and follows and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Warning: This chapter is M rated for sexual content. Yay for Faberry sexy times **

"Why do they always have to go for the face? Every single time. It's like they know how much it pisses me off," Brody whined as he sat back on the couch of the private jet nursing a black eye with some ice wrapped up in a towel. Sam sat down next to him and handed him a bottle of water chuckling as recalled Brody getting smacked right in the face by the perp they had been tracking. Cassandra just shot a look at the two agents, at times she couldn't help but feel like they were stuck in their frat boy ways, but they were physically strong and the team needed that.

Quinn and Mike were the agents' who were able to read the case, determine what type of suspect they were looking for, their motives for committing crimes, how they were likely to carry them out and the type of victims they were likely to target. They were the psychological experts, as such it was their job to find the suspect, their expertise especially useful in cases that lack hard core physical evidence.

Brody and Sam were the brute force, they were responsible for the more physical side of things, such as chasing down the suspects and using their fists if they needed to. Santana, well Santana was the law expert, it was her job to liaise with the local police, cross examine the perps and to question the locals. Cassie worked in a supervisory role, it was her job to organise the team and to work with them in whatever capacity she was needed at a given time. It was a young team, but it was a successful team and somehow, all their individual personalities linked together to create a cohesive unit that ran like a well-oiled machine.

Sitting at the glossy wooden table where they usually went over case files en-route to various locations across the States, Quinn and Santana were engaged in a conversation, away from the boisterous laughter and sneering of Mike, Brody and Sam. It had been a long day, Boston was always a tough city to go to and neither woman could wait to get home so they could unwind and just chill out, Quinn especially eager since home meant home to Rachel. Santana picked up another handful of peanuts from the bowl in front of her and turned to face Quinn.

"So, how's the whole move going? Did Rachel finally manage to get all her stuff moved in yet?" she asked, tossing a peanut in the air and catching it in her mouth. Quinn rolled her eyes as the Latina tossed another peanut and it hit her in the eye, the woman was too easily amused. "Yeah, she was pretty much done before we left for this case so she should be all set by the time I get back. Hopefully my surprise hasn't arrived yet," Quinn said, puffing out a breath as she shifted about in the leather chair to get comfortable. Santana's ears twitched at the mention of a surprise.

"You've been talking about this surprise since the midget agreed to move in with you, do you think you can find it in your heart to tell me what it is before I spontaneously combust trying to work it out? Is it a naughty surprise?" Santana asked wriggling her eyebrows. Cassie, who was sitting opposite the girls writing out the case report giggled at the Latina's question. Typical Santana, everything always related back to sex. Quinn eyed her senior supervisor, shooting her an amused look before turning back to face her friend.

"No San, believe it or not I'm actually capable of getting someone a gift that has no sexual connotations attached to it." Santana huffed but carried on listening non-the less. "I've arranged for a piano my Mom's had in storage to be moved into my loft. Rachel loves to play but she's never had one of her own. I figured this would be a nice housewarming gift," Quinn shrugged. The piano she was talking about was a grand piano Quinn's mother used to have in the study that they had put into storage when Russell converted the room into his home office. Since nobody used it, Quinn talked to her mother and Judy happily agreed to allow her to have it.

"You really know how to woo a lady Fabray," Cassie said as she put away the completed report and sat back in her seat buckling herself in. "Alright Rugrats, everybody take your seats we're due to land in ten," she ordered as she watched Sam and Brody make some lame joke about landing in some chicks landing strip. Sometimes she wondered why she agreed to oversee this team. She should have just taken an office job or continued as a field agent but nope, she went for the pay rise and the constant headache.

"What are your plans for tonight? You know past sweeping your girlfriend off her feet," Santana asked as she buckled herself into the seat. Quinn finished adjusting her own belt strap and relaxed. "Not much. I'm meeting Rach, Fran, John and Blaine at this bar called Puck's to watch the Rangers game against the Sharks. You should stop by," Quinn offered as she kept her gaze on the screen that displayed the jets flight path. Santana declined the offer, mentioning something about checking out the NYPD versus the FDNY basketball game with Brody and Mike. Quinn had been to a few games, they got pretty competitive, and that was just the supporters.

Glancing out the window, Quinn watched as the New York landscape came into view and smiled to herself knowing that somewhere down in that concrete jungle was a woman who could possibly be the love of her life. It amazed Quinn how much her life had changed over the last year, she used to fly out on cases at the drop of a hat and have absolutely no worries or obligations other than to her job. But now she found herself decidedly less eager to leave and counting down the minutes until she would return to the city. Rachel Berry had caught Quinn hook line and sinker and the blonde couldn't have been happier with how her life was turning out.

That night, after stopping by the apartment to change and to set up her surprise for Rachel, Quinn made her way towards Puck's bar to meet with her girlfriend. They had discovered upon Rachel's first visit to the blonde's loft that the bar was only five blocks away so Quinn opted to walk there to save herself a few dollars on a taxi she didn't really need. The decision to walk had been the right one as she had managed to make it to the bar in a matter of minutes.

Upon entering the bar she noticed a crowd of Rangers supporters in hockey shirts and had to scope the place out to spot the people she was looking for. It wasn't until she turned towards the bar that she noticed Blaine waving her over to where he was standing. Taking off her jacket, she manoeuvred through the crowd and came to a stop when she was standing next Blaine, the pair exchanging brief hugs in hello before they were interrupted by the barman, a tall guy with broad shoulders and a Mohawk.

"Blaine my man what can I get you and your lady friend to drink?" he asked winking at the blonde and giving her lopsided grin. Blaine just laughed at Quinn's bemused expression before deciding to put a halt to his friends obvious flirting. "Quinn this is Noah Puckerman, though he prefers to go by Puck. He owns the bar," Blaine explained looking at Quinn while gesturing to the other man. "Puck this is Quinn, Rachel's girlfriend," he said looking to Puck who instantly deflated at the knowledge that the blonde was taken.

"Oh my bad," Puck responded holding his hands up in surrender. Quinn just chuckled at him, she could read from his body language that his confidence was a front, put on to charm his customers and from the number of women in the establishment it obviously worked. She could also tell from his interaction with Blaine that he was genuinely a decent guy and that made her lower her guard. "It's a pleasure to meet you," Puck said extending his hand for Quinn to shake. Gripping his hand she shook it and smiled at him.

"So what can I get you to drink?" Blaine asked, removing his wallet from his back pocket. Quinn turned to him, thinking about it for a second. "I'll just have a beer thanks," she said. Blaine just looked at her with a smirk on his face before turning to Puck who was waiting for him to order. "Give me five beers and five whiskey chasers and one for yourself," Blaine said to Puck who saluted him as he went about rounding up the drinks. "If we're gonna do this we might as well do it right," Blaine grinned and Quinn could do nothing but shake her head and smile at him. Now she understood why Blaine and Rachel had a reputation of for writing some songs while still drunk. When they went out they drank like the country would run dry.

"Everybody's sitting at a table at the end of the bar if you want to go catch up with Rach," Blaine said and Quinn nodded after checking with him that he was okay to carry the drinks. Making her way through the crowd, she finally spotted familiar dark brown hair sitting on a stool next to a high table with two other people and felt her stomach flutter as she closed the distance. Coming up behind her girlfriend she placed her coat down on the vacant stool and then wrapped her arms around the other woman's waist, startling her.

"Oh my God! Quinn you scared me," Rachel said as she turned her head so she could look the blonde in the eye, her hand resting over her erratically beating heart. Quinn giggled and then leaned down pressing her lips to Rachel's moaning at the contact. The sound of a cough forced her to pull back and acknowledge the presence of her sister. "Hello Fran," she said as she sat down on top of her coat on the stool next to Rachel instantly resting her hand on the brunette's thigh wanting to keep the contact they had.

"Hello to you too baby sister," Fran said, her eyebrow arched in amusement. Rachel always found it funny they all three Fabray women had the trait. She wondered if it was hereditary or it was just learned over the years. John frightened all three women when he suddenly fist pumped the year and cheered. When he turned around he looked at the three confused faces and pointed to the screen. "Sorry, Rangers penalty," he explained and then turned back to the screen after a tip of the head in hello to his sister-in-law. Fran just shaking her head at her sports fanatic husband.

"Soooo, anyway, how was you day?" Quinn asked angling her body towards Rachel who seemed to stiffen at the question. Quinn furrowed her brows as she assessed her girlfriends' body language to figure out what was going on, the way Rachel tucked her hair behind her ear indicated to her that the brunette was nervous or uncomfortable, but she remained seated with her body facing towards Quinn so she wasn't trying to shut herself off from the agent. From this, Quinn could tell that Rachel was going to tell her what was up, but quite obviously it was the topic of conversation that was making her girlfriend tense.

"I uh, I bumped into an old friend from my old foster home," Rachel replied, her voice hushed as she spoke. Quinn leaned in closer so she could hear over the noise of the rowdy bar crowd and nodded her head so Rachel would know she heard her. "Apparently Ted, my foster "father" died of a heart attack last week," Rachel said, her voice and expression completely void of emotion. Quinn placed a hand on her girlfriends' lower back and began rubbing soothing circles. "Are you okay, do you want to talk about it?" she asked, afraid to push the subject but wanting to reassure Rachel that she was there for her in whatever way she needed her, but the brunette just shook her head no.

"It's strange, I thought I would feel, something, but I just feel numb. Is that weird?" Rachel asked looking into hazel eyes that were watching her with concern and compassion. Quinn reached out and took a hold of Rachel's hand in hers, giving it a squeeze, at least now she understood Blaine's double order of whiskey and beer. "No Rach, it's completely understandable. I'm glad you told me, is there anything I can do?" Quinn asked continuing her ministrations on Rachel's lower back. The brunette shook her head and wiped at the corner of her eye.

"Just having you here is all I need," Rachel said and Quinn smiled at the response, leaning down and kissing Rachel passionately and then breaking contact. Before Quinn could respond, Blaine arrived with their drinks, John lighting up at the sight of the whiskey chaser while Fran looked a little sceptical about the whole thing but went along with it, and Quinn, she was just happy to go along with whatever Rachel wanted, so she picked up her beer and her whiskey and placed them down in front of her as Rachel did the same. When everyone had received their drinks, they all turned their attention to the big screen for the second quarter of the game.

Outside a blacked out SUV sat nestled amongst a row of parked cars, its occupant keeping a watchful on the bar across the street. He pulled from his cigarette and allowed the smoke to simmer in his lungs as the nicotine raced through his system, momentarily calming his craving. At 12:15a.m exactly five people stumbled out of the bar, laughter floating through the air. Suddenly his senses were awakened as his gaze fell upon a blonde with short hair, her arms wrapped around a shorter brunette, the pair engaging in PDA stopping when one of the members of the group made a gagging noise.

When the two women separated he caught a glimpse of the blondes face and he memorised it. Reaching across to the passenger seat he picked up a picture and looked at it and then turned back to face the group of people across the street glancing at the blonde and then at the picture. Perfect match. Tossing the picture aside, he placed a hand on the steering wheel and leaned back in his seat, his gaze falling on the brunette the blonde woman seemed to be attached to. As he watched the taller woman shower what he could only assume was her girlfriend with affection, his lips quirked up into a grin. "Jackpot."

"You guys be safe," Fran said as she climbed in to waiting yellow cab with John and Blaine. Quinn and Rachel had decided to walk in the hopes the midnight air would sober them up. Both women waved as the taxi pulled away. Quinn reached down and laced her hand with her girlfriends as they began heading in the direction of their home. _Their_ home, Quinn still couldn't quite wrap her head around it, she and Rachel were living together. They were sharing their lives with each other, it still rendered Quinn into a loved up stupor at times.

"Tonight was fun. We should do that more often," Rachel said as she snuggled against Quinn's shoulder. The blonde pressed a kiss on the top of her girlfriends head and smiled. "Agreed. Maybe make a weekly thing or something," she replied, gazing up and down the street for oncoming traffic before crossing the street. Rachel nodded her head and then looked up at Quinn. "Thank you for earlier. You know, for not pressuring me to talk, for being patient," she said, shrugging her shoulders. Quinn gazed down and connected hazel eyes with brown. "Of course," Quinn said, squeezing Rachel's hand.

It wasn't long before the couple reached the loft, Quinn taking out her keys and unlocking the door, allowing Rachel to enter first. The brunette shook off her coat and hung it on the coat rack, when she stepped further inside the loft, her eyes instantly landed on the black grand piano sitting next to the large window looking out at the city. The sight stopped her in her tracks, she turned to Quinn who was smiling at her. Rachel walked towards the piano and when she was close enough she pressed down on a couple of the ivory keys. She glanced back up at Quinn and shook her head, her mouth bobbing up and down indicating that she didn't know what to say, so Quinn took the lead.

"It's kind of a housewarming present. I wanted to get you something to mark the occasion. My Mom's had this thing in storage for a while. When I told her you played she was happy to pass it on," Quinn explained, moving across the room and grabbing a hold of her girlfriends' hand pulling her down onto the piano bench with her. "I figured you could use it to write your songs instead of having to spend hours at the theatre." In truth Quinn hated the idea of Rachel wandering around the streets at night because she had to in order to be near a piano, so there was double the incentive for Quinn to gift it to her girlfriend.

Rachel gazed into hazel eyes and smiled, tears threatening to fall. "Quinn, I-I, thank you so much. Nobody's ever done anything like this for me before," Rachel said her voice wavering as her emotions got the better of her. Quinn simply kissed the brunette on the lips and cupped a tan cheek in the palm of her hand. "You're more than welcome. Mom was actually thinking about selling it so it's nice that this way, it can stay in the family," Quinn replied in a quiet voice, eyes dancing across the beauty of her girlfriends features. Rachel blushed at the insinuation that she was family. It made her heart swell.

"C'mon, play me something, I've been dying to have you perform just for me," Quinn said, turning around on the seat and glancing down at the piano keys confused as to how anyone could remember which one they were supposed to press. Rachel chuckled and then turned so she was facing the right way. Gently placing her hands on the keys, she began playing a soft classical number, Quinn watching the movement of her hands before lifting her gaze to watch the concentration on Rachel's face. The piece the songwriter was playing was hauntingly beautiful and Quinn got lost in the melody.

When Rachel brought the song to an end, the locked eyes with one another the want they both felt in that moment overwhelmed them. Quinn reached up both hands and cupped Rachel's face in her palms and then crashed their lips together. It was deep and passionate as tongues battled for dominance. When things started getting heated Quinn stood up and locking her hand with her girlfriends, led them both to the bedroom. Once inside Quinn wrapped her arms around the brunette and brought their lips together again, kissing the door shut behind her. She tried to gently coax Rachel towards the bed, but Rachel separated their lips and turned her head to the side so she could speak.

"Quinn, turn out the light," Rachel managed through laboured breaths as the blonde attacked her neck. Once the words had been uttered Quinn shook her head and shook it, locking eyes with Rachel as she rested her forehead against the smaller woman's. "No. Not this time. Tonight I want to make love to you and see you, and appreciate all of you. Every inch." Rachel's eyes teared up at the implication of those words. They had made love many times, but Rachel was always the one to give and it was always with the lights off so the brunette's scars were hidden by the shadow of darkness.

But looking into hazel eyes, Rachel could see the determination in her girlfriends' eyes. Quinn wanted to be the one to give this time and nothing Rachel could do or say would change her mind. After a moment of hesitation, she relented and watched as Quinn slowly placed her hands on the hem of her shirt and began lifting it over her head. She used her hands to help and once she was without the over-garment her insecurities rose to the surface and she tried to cover herself with her arms, but Quinn stopped her, gently grabbing a hold of slender wrists and moving Rachel's arms out of the way.

"So beautiful," Quinn whispered as she admired the body in front of her. She leaned down and placed open mouthed kisses over her girlfriends shoulder and then made a trail down her body, over a clavicle, down over the exposed area of breast not hidden behind the material of a satin bra, until she dropped to her knees and her lips were connecting with the scarred skin of Rachel's torso that the brunette tried so hard to hide from everyone, even herself. Quinn kept placing kisses until she reached the waist of denim jeans. Glancing up at brown eyes, she raised her hands and unbuttoned them.

Rachel's breath hitched as she felt soft hands push the item of clothing down along toned legs, exposing the scars on her upper thighs. Once the jeans reached her ankles she stepped out of them and watched as Quinn tossed them aside. Before she could say anything Quinn placed her hands either side of Rachel's thighs and began kissing along the scarred skin, starting from the outside and making her way to the inside, higher and higher until she was face to face with a thong. Again her hands lifted to remove the offending material and she dragged down toned legs, tossing it aside before gazing at sweet heaven.

Standing up she reached behind Rachel and unclasped her girlfriends' bra, throwing it on the growing pile. Quinn took a moment to bask in the gorgeous sight of her now naked lover and then proceeded to undress herself, locking her lips with Rachel's every time she removed an item of clothing. When there was nothing left to take off, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Rachel, guiding her back towards the bed and laying her down, her hand cupping the back of her girlfriends head until she could softly lay it down against the pillow.

Quinn gazed down at the body resting underneath her and began trailing her way down, pressing kisses as she went, once she reached the apex of Rachel's legs. Using her knee she nudged the songwriters' legs apart and then lowered herself between them. Rachel was dripping purely from anticipation and Quinn couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth building up in her stomach. She glanced up and saw brown eyes staring down at her waiting anxiously for something to happen, and that was all the encouragement Quinn needed to proceed.

As soon as she began to suck on a hardened nub, Rachel's back arched off of the bed and gasps of 'more' fell from her lips. Quinn flicked her tongue against sensitive folds and then pushed until it was inside, lapping up the juices. When Rachel's back arched even higher off of the bed, Quinn brought a hand up and placed it on a taut stomach holding the smaller woman down. Before she knew it, she could feel Rachel clenching down around her tongue and the woman's thighs tightening their hold around the blonde's head. "Uhh, oh my God…Quinn…I'm gonna, I'm….UHHHHHH," Rachel screamed out as wave after wave of pleasure pulsed through her body, sending her crashing over the edge.

Quinn continued gently licking and soaking up the juices until she was sure her girlfriend had come down from her high. Once the brunette had settled back against the bed, the agent pressed a kiss to Rachel's clit and climbed back up her body until she was hovering over her. Rachel wrapped her hand around the back of the blonde's neck and pulled her down into a passionate kiss, moaning at the taste of her own essence that coated her girlfriends tongue. Quinn rested her forehead against Rachel's and smiled down at her. Slowly, she straddled one of Rachel's legs and lowered one of her hands down between sweat soaked bodies. At the first touch Rachel's leg jutted up and connected with Quinn's centre making her gasp in pleasure.

"Are you ready?" Quinn whispered gazing into dark brown orbs. Rachel stared up at the blonde and with a shaky breath whispered one word, "Yes." With that word of confirmation, Quinn slid two fingers between dripping folds, coating her fingers to lubricate them and then with one swift thrust pushed her fingers inside and moaned when yet again, Rachel's thigh pressed against her centre, the friction shooting a wave of pleasure through the blonde. Leaning down she rested against Rachel as she continued thrusting in and out, her own hips rocking against her girlfriends' thigh. It was all so intense and she could feel her own release fast approaching.

"Quinn," Rachel said into the blonde's ear through a ragged breath, "Baby, I-I'm gonna, I'm gonna cum." Quinn just nodded her head into the brunettes shoulder unable to form words. Picking up the pace Quinn worked relentlessly to tip them both over the edge, as she felt Rachel's walls clenching around her fingers she flicked the a sensitive nub with her thumb and that was it. Rachel was a goner and Quinn fell right over the edge with her, her tired body collapsing on top of the panting musician. They both lay there unable to move, connecting their lips and kissing each other softly as they waited for their limbs to regain the ability to function.

Once Quinn's arms were back in motion she lifted herself off of her girlfriend and lay on her back, Rachel snuggling into her and resting her head on the blondes shoulder. "That was…amazing," Quinn managed to get out as she worked on regulating her breathing. Rachel smiled up at her under hooded eyelids and kissed the underside of her jaw. "I love you," Rachel said and Quinn tipped her head down so she could look her girlfriend in the eyes. "I love you too," she replied giving her one last kiss before their tired bodies caved to the extent of their exhaustion and they drifted into a peaceful sleep.

**So what do you think? Drop a review and let me know. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Update, small one but an update non-the less. Hope you like it and thanks for the reviews and follows.**

"_So, she's still working as a field agent for the BAU?" the man in the suit asked as he gazed down at the photographs he held in his hands. The guy standing across from him puffing on a cigarette nodded his head as he exhaled the smoke. "Yes sir, right her in the city. Same unit, same team, everything. Pretty sure she even has the same fuckin desk from what I saw. You know for a bunch of Feds, they make it real easy to get inside their precious HQ," he said in a thick Brooklyn accent as he lifted the cigarette to his mouth and took another long drag._

"_And her family?" the older man asked, tossing most of the photos aside onto an empty desk, except for one. The other guy tapped his cigarette to knock the long trail of ash off the end of it before scratching his brow with his thumb. "Sisters working at NYU Langone Hospital, brother in law is a senior detective for the pigs, Mom's a housewife and Dad's the chief of the BAU here in New York," he rattled off pulling another drag, then tossed his bud into a bin two feet away from him and then looked up to his boss who was studying the picture._

"_What about the other girl in the picture? What's her story?" the boss asked never lifting his eyes from the image in front of him. The henchman shifted from foot to foot and then shoved his hands into his coat pockets. "Some songwriter chick, apparently she's a big deal but she prefers to stay out of the spotlight so she's pretty much anonymous to the public at large. And, get this, she just moved in with your little friend. Seems good ol' Agent Fabray is takin' a ride on the love boat."_

_The older man scoffed as he gazed at the picture, committing it to memory as his eyes lingered on the image of the smiling brunette wrapped up in the arms of the blonde woman who made his blood boil. Lifting his hand he traced his finger over the face of the brunette in the picture, a devious smirk crossing his face as his brain began formulating plans, plans to break the very heart and soul of Agent Quinn Fabray. "See you soon," he muttered under his breath, before picking up a lighter and setting the picture on fire._

"How long have we been at this now?" Sam asked as he tossed the foam ball across the large open plan office to Brody who caught it and then checked his watch. "Twenty minutes and counting," he said as he tossed it to Santana who was standing over by the coffee cart, the Latina catching it with one hand. She shot a glare at a couple of the older agents in the office who were unimpressed by the childish behaviour of the group and then smiled when one of the women turned away from staring at them.

"Geez, some people in this place need to remove the sticks from their asses. I know we're Federal Officers but that doesn't mean we have to give up HAVING FUN!" she said her voice rising at the last part of the sentence for everyone in the surrounding area to hear. Quinn laughed as she caught the ball Santana had sent her way, from her position reclined back in her office chair, her feet resting on her desk. "Maybe if we start knitting they'll join in, heaven forbid we should do anything that might excite them," Quinn quipped tossing the ball to Mike who had just walked into the office area with a stack of files under his arm.

"Antagonizing the rest of the staff again?" he asked. Brody and Sam nodded their heads, the blonde gesturing for Mike to toss him the toy, which he did. Walking over to Quinn's desk he handed her some of the files that were marked with a post it with her name on them. She accepted them into her hand just as the foam ball came hurtling back towards her, managing to catch it at the last second before it pummelled her in the face. Mike chuckled and then looked down at the blonde agent pointing at the files.

"List of crims' out on parole. Not majorly important, Cassie just thinks they'll be useful to have on hand in case we come across any cases that may sound familiar." Quinn nodded her head in understanding, tossing the files into the tray on top of some others that were deemed of lesser importance to the cases she was currently studying. "Thanks," she replied and then removed a slingshot from her desk drawer, placing the foam ball into it and lifting it, aiming it at an unsuspecting Sam. She noticed the giggling faces of Santana and Brody and with practiced ease she launched the ball at the blonde man, catching him on the side of the head. "OWWWW!".

Across town, Rachel scribbled some notes onto a music sheet, her mind having been taken over by melodies and lyrics that seemed to be calling out for her to write. Blaine stood off to the side of the stage, talking with the musical directors they had been collaborating with. By their reactions, they seemed happy with what the duo had come up with for their upcoming musical. Rachel hated the business side of the work she did, Blaine was far more savvy in that area so he dealt with all the contracts and handshakes.

"Okay, it's done. They love the songs and they're ready to sign some pretty nice cheques as soon as we get in the studio and polish up the sound," Blaine said walking back towards Rachel who looked up from the piano and smiled. Checking her phone she noticed the time, Quinn would be picking her up soon to go ice skating. To say she was looking forward to it was an understatement, she couldn't wait to get her girlfriend out on the ice after learning that the blonde, who was born and bred New Yorker, had never been ice skating at Rockefeller Centre. It kind of astounded her really.

"We should probably pack up and get out of here, the new security is a real pain in the ass about late sessions," Rachel said, her voice laced with annoyance. Bill, the new security guard made it very clear that he had no intentions of hanging around until all hours for the song writing duo to do their thing. There was a schedule and they either kept it, or they could guard the place themselves. Needless to say Rachel had to restrain herself from cussing the man out of it, nobody rushed creativity, well nobody except Bill apparently.

"Do you need me to hang around?" Blaine asked as he packed away his guitar and pulled on his coat. Rachel shook her head flashing him a text from her girlfriend. "It's fine, Quinn's on her way, and Bill's lurking around somewhere," Rachel said standing from the piano bench and gathering up the music sheets. Blaine smiled at her and they exchanged hugs and then he left, leaving the brunette alone to play for an empty theatre. As she sat back down on the bench she placed her hands over the keys and began to play one of the tunes she and Blaine had just completed that evening.

It was a mid tempo love song that Rachel had based on her growing relationship with Quinn. It was soft and sweet but with a powerful uplifting ending. One of the benefits of Rachel having such a strong voice was that she could really belt out the songs when it was called for. Something many songwriters couldn't do, this often made it easier when pitching songs for musicals or even record companies. Some had even tried to sign Rachel herself as an artist, but she always turned them down, too many insecurities getting in the way of the possibility of ever pursuing a public career.

_Crash….clatter….bang. _Rachel jumped from the bench, heart clambering out of her chest as she pressed her hand over it, gazing out over the empty seats to see if she could spot any sign of what had caused the noise. Nothing. There was no one there. Turning to the side of the stage she hoped to see Bill standing there picking up something he had knocked over, but the space was empty. "Quinn," she called out, hoping that maybe her girlfriend had arrived through the back entrance, but there was no answer. "Quinn," she called out again, this time her voice sounding scared and unsure.

Taking a hesitant step towards the side of the stage, Rachel reached out a shaky hand and grasped a hold of the curtain, hiding her body behind it as she slowly leaned her head around it to peer into the backstage area. Empty. With great reluctance, Rachel proceeded to make her way further backstage, hoping she wouldn't find anything. The sound of a door slamming shut sent a jolt through her body, making her jump back in fright. Staring down towards the lighted are that led towards the dressing rooms she quietly made her way towards the corridor.

As she made her way down the hall she heard a sound coming from one of the rooms. Rachel stopped in her tracks, her breath caught in her chest as she closed her eyes and swallowed thickly. Turning towards the door the noise came from she placed her hand on the doorknob, and, after waiting a beat, she turned it and pushed the door open. The room was pitch black, she couldn't see anything. Afraid to proceed but also too scared to go back, so she stepped inside and fumbled in the darkness for the light switch. With all the courage she had she flicked it on.

Empty. Rachel exhaled a long breath of relief and turned on her heel to leave but her body collided with another. "AHHHHH," she screamed fighting against the hands that grasped her upper arms, her eyes closed. "Rach, Rach stop, it's me." The familiar voice pulled Rachel from inside her head and she gazed up to find worried hazel eyes staring back at her. "Quinn," she whispered as she buried her head into the blondes' chest, relief flooding through her. Strong arms wrapped around her and held her close whispering soothing words to calm her down, until Rachel pulled back enough to connect their gaze again.

"I'm sorry. I heard something earlier and it freaked me out so I came back here and then, I just…" she tried to explain. "Quinn furrowed her brows and gave her girlfriends upper arms a squeeze. "Hey, it's okay, there's no one here except me you and Bill," she said watching as Rachel's expression changed to curious. "Bill's here?" she asked to which Quinn nodded. Rachel just shook her head, maybe it was him after all. Quinn hugged Rachel again and kissed her on the forehead. "So, are you ready to go ice skating?" she asked trying to shift Rachel's thoughts to a much brighter topic. Rachel nodded her head and smiled, feeling herself relax again as she laced her hand with Quinn's and led them out to the stage to collect her belongings.

Here's the infuriating thing about Quinn, even if she says she has never done something, she'll probably more than likely pick it up quickly on her first go. It had a lot to do with her athleticism. In High School she had been a cheerleader, no not one of those "we rule the school and dance to pop songs" cheerleaders but the acrobatic kind, the ones who are actually cool to watch. She also played tennis and was a nationally ranked champion. Yes, Miss High Achiever was an A student in extra-curricular activities as well as academics.

So Rachel was left feeling both annoyed and impressed by how quickly Quinn adapted to the ice, it was like she had been skating for years. The couple skated hand in hand around the rink, smiling at the other couples and families they passed. Quinn couldn't help but smile at how happy and at ease her girlfriend looked, she loved to see her in those carefree moments where she was just relaxing and having fun. It brought her such joy to see somebody she cared so deeply for so happy.

"Alright Miss anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better, is there anything else you're better than me at that I should be aware of for future reference so I don't make a fool of myself," Rachel asked, a playful smile on her face. Quinn laughed and shook her head as she kept skating. "I'm not good at everything Rach. I mean I can't play piano, I definitely can sing like you can, and I definitely can do some of those thing your tongue seems perfectly trained to do," Quinn joked, earning a slap from the brunette who was turning crimson.

"Hey now, don't get embarrassed, I happen to very envious of that trick tongue of yours. It may just be my favourite thing about you," Quinn grinned spinning so she was skating backwards with Rachel now being held in her arms. The smaller woman smiled and kept moving them along the ice. "Oh yeah, what else do you like?" she asked, grinning at Quinn as she wrapped her arms around her neck. Quinn smiled and dipped her head connecting their lips, making Rachel beam with happiness.

"Your smile and how it lights up a room, your eyes, their gorgeous, the first thing that attracted me to you actually. But most of all, your strength and how it brought you here to me." Rachel's eyes were watering, but she didn't want to cry, so instead she pulled Quinn down into a kiss and conveyed everything she needed to in that moment. The blonde wrapped her arms tighter around her girlfriend and lifted her off the ice, deepening the kiss and then placed her back down on her skates. Pulling apart they clasped their hands together and continued circling the rink content just to spend the quality time together.

**So what did you think? Don't forget, review, review, review. Talk to you soon **


	7. Chapter 7

**Update! Sorry for any mistakes I'm super busy at the moment and I don't really have the time to check for typos. Anyways enjoy and thanks again for the reviews.**

"Ow, ow, OW!" Quinn cried out as Santana dabbed the cut below her eye with an antiseptic wipe. Cassie came strolling up to the black SUV and gave the two agents sitting on the back of the open trunk a bob of the head in hello. "You okay there Fabray?" she asked, blonde hair billowing in the wind. Quinn looked up at her as her friend dumped the wipe and pulled out a fresh one. "Yeah, this is fine," Quinn said, pointing to the little two inch cut above her cheek, "_this_ is what's hurting me," she said pointing to Santana who purposely pressed down on the cut while cleaning it.

"OW! Jesus Santana," Quinn shouted, lifting a hand over the cut as if it would ease the stinging pain. Santana just gave her a mock apologetic look, raising her hand over her mouth. "Oops, sorry, it slipped," the dark haired woman said as she threw away the second wipe. "There all better. Next time, try not to run into a fist," she said sarcastically. Quinn scowled at her. It wasn't her fault she got hit. When she and Brody had split up in order to chase down the suspect, Quinn had taken the main entrance into the warehouse, only to be blindsided when the guy jumped out from behind a stack of crates and hit her in the face.

"Just be glad that's all he did. Situations like this have ended far worse for people in our line of work," Cassie stated and Quinn just nodded her head. It was part of the hazards of being an FBI agent. It didn't matter how careful or skilled you were, things could go wrong in an instant and things could get out of control. It was all a game of chance and luck so every time they came out of a case in one piece, Quinn shot a thank you up to the big guy watching over them. Standing up from the trunk, she pulled on her suit coat and thanked God it was early evening, she hated trying to manoeuvre through New York traffic at night.

"Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to get the hell out of here, go home, get something to eat and crash for the night," she sighed, pulling out her phone and checking for messages. She had a text from her mother reminding her about the BBQ on Saturday and a text from Rachel telling her that she was on the way home and was ordering in Thai food for dinner. Quinn smiled, living with Rachel was heaven, not only did she have someone to share the house duties with, but she loved coming home and having someone there to take care of her and who helped her to take her mind off of work for a change. Rachel moving in had brought a great deal of peace and stability to Quinn's life.

"I second that," Santana said as she too climbed off the edge of the trunk and closed the door. Cassie said her goodbyes to the women as they climbed into the SUV and pulled out of the docklands and onto the road. The drive was quiet for the most part, save for the music drifting from the radio. Both women were exhausted, most of their cases the guys would usually deal with the physical aspect because they loved a good chase down, but every now and again Quinn and Santana would have to get involved and this had been one of those times.

Forty-five minutes later Santana pulled up outside the building of Quinn's loft and after a quick goodbye the blonde jumped out and headed inside, her body thrumming with excitement, glad to be home. When the elevator reached her floor, she pulled out her keys and put them in the lock, twisting and pushing the door open. Inside, she could smell the aroma of hot Thai food wafting towards her and her mouth watered, it was clear Rachel had only arrived home with the take out. Shrugging off her coat, she tossed it over the back of a chair slipped off her work shoes, which happened to be a pair of black converse, and headed in the direction of the kitchen.

"That smells amazing," Quinn said, coming up behind Rachel who was dishing out the food and wrapping her arms around her waist, placing a gentle kiss on the soft skin of the brunettes' neck. Rachel smiled and put down the container and spoon in her hand, twisting around so she was face to face with her girlfriend. As soon as she was facing the blonde, her expression changed from that of happiness to concern as she lifted her hands to cup Quinn's face. "Oh my God, Quinn what happened?" Rachel asked as she softly ghosted a finger over the cut, making her girlfriends face scrunch up in discomfort.

"Babe it's fine, it's just a scratch. Totally superficial, I just had a run in with a suspect and he caught me off guard. I'm completely fine," Quinn said, leaning down and pressing a placating kiss to her girlfriends' lips to reassure her. When they pulled apart Rachel placed her hands on Quinn's chest and shrugged her shoulders. "I know, and, I'm sorry if I'm overreacting. I just, I can't help worry sometimes and seeing you come home like this, it just reminds me of what exactly your job entails and it throws me a little sometimes."

Quinn pulled Rachel into a hug and kissed her on the forehead, holding her tight and swaying them. She could understand completely where Rachel was coming from. If the blonde put herself in her girlfriends' shoes she would be a wreck, constantly worrying about her. But Rachel was fine about Quinn's job for the most part so she couldn't begrudge her these little moments where she needed reassurance. "Rach, I promise you, I would never put myself in a position where I could get seriously hurt. Not when I have you waiting at home for me. There's no I could ever let this go," Quinn said, emphasising her last point by flexing her arms and squeezing Rachel closer.

"Good to know," Rachel responded as she leaned up and kissed her girlfriend on the lips. "C'mon let's eat before the food gets cold," Rachel said as she handed Quinn her plate and they made their way to the dining table to sit down. The table had already been set and there was a jug of ice cold water sitting in the centre on a mat which Quinn made quick work of pouring a glass for them both. As they were tucking into their food Rachel suddenly put her fork down and swallowed her food. "Oh I forgot, I have something for you," she said standing up and walking over to the chest of drawers that were below the flat screen tv thathung in the wall. Reaching inside one of the top drawers Rachel pulled out a perfectly wrapped gift and then returned to the table.

"Considering the talk we had, it actually seems even more appropriate," she continued as she handed the gift over to Quinn. The blonde set her fork down and accepted the square shaped box into her hand. "Rach, you didn't have to get me anything," Quinn replied blushing as she looked up at her girlfriend. Rachel just gazed back. "I know, but I wanted to," she said as she picked up her fork and toyed with her food nervously. Quinn looked down at the gift and slowly un-wrapped the neat little bow and then tore into the paper.

Once the gift wrapping was gone Quinn was left staring at a jewellery box. Opening it up, she admired the contents, her breath hitching. "Rach, it's perfect," Quinn said as she removed the necklace from the box and admired the pendent of St. Michael, the Archangel . "Really?" Rachel asked and Quinn nodded with a beaming smile on her face. "I just, I know you don't go to church or anything, but you do still have your faith and I wanted to get you something that you could wear. You know, to keep you safe. I, I did some research and this seemed to fit…" she trailed off, unsure what else to say.

Quinn unclasped the chain and put it around her neck, locking it in place, staring down at the silver pendant resting over her chest and placing her hand over it. Looking up at Rachel she gave her a warm smile and the leaned closer, cupping her girlfriends hand in her palm and stroking her cheek with her thumb. "I love it. Thank you so much, it's the nicest, most considerate thing anyone's ever done for me." With those words, Quinn connected their lips and they kissed for a few moments, just enjoying the connection before returning to their food.

"So, is Blaine still on for the Halloween festivities Saturday? My Mom's really looking forward to meeting him," Quinn asked as she took another bite of her food, savouring the taste of the spicy pad Thai chicken noodles. Rachel took a gulp of water and nodded her head as she swallowed. "Yeah, he told me to thank you for the invite," she said swirling her fork around in her own noodle dish. Quinn just waved off her comment, "Of course I'd want him there. He's your family he's more than welcome to come along, anytime." Rachel laced her hand with her girlfriends' that was resting on the table and Quinn looked up at her questioningly.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me that you think to include him in things like this," Rachel said with a bashful smile. Quinn raised their joined hands to her lips and pressed a kiss to the back of a tan hand. "Like I said, he's your family, if he's important to you, then he's important to me. I meant what I said before Rach, my family is your family now. That goes for Blaine too." Rachel could feel her eyes tearing up just listening to what Quinn was saying. It was one thing for Quinn to consider her family, but that fact the blonde extended that to her own family, it overloaded Rachel's emotions. Unable to trust her voice to speak without breaking she nodded her head and smiled, squeezing Quinn's hand in response and then they both carried on with their meals.

That night as they lay in bed, resting peacefully after and exhausting day, Rachel turned over, curling up into Quinn's front and soaking up the blondes natural body warmth. Just as she was settling back down the sound of a chair screeching against the loft's wooden floors broke through her sleepy haze. Bolting upright in the bed she kept a hold of the duvet and listened carefully, and then, she heard more noises. Fearing there may be an intruder, she turned to her sleeping girlfriend and shook her shoulder.

"Quinn, Quinn wake up," she whispered shaking the blonde a little harder, cursing the blonde for being such a heavy sleeper. Eventually her girlfriend began to stir. "Rach, what is it, what's wrong?" Quinn's sleepy voice asked as she looked up at the scared brunette. Rachel swallowed thickly but before she could respond, another noise. Quinn shot up into a sitting position and reached over to her bedside cabinet. Reaching inside the drawer she pulled out her gun and removed it from its holster. "Stay here," she told Rachel as she climbed out of the bed, thankful that she and her girlfriend were too tired for sex that night and that she was wearing her sleep clothes.

Stepping out into the hall, she stealthily makes her towards the living room, careful not to make noise. Walking with her back against the wall, she stretches to look to the left out into the living room but sees nothing. Certain that the area was clear, she then stepped out from the hall into the open space and looked around, gun pointing forward in defensive mode. Quinn did a slow 360 turn in the middle of the open floor room but failed to find anything that could cause the noise. Dropping her arm holding the gun to her side she walked to the door and checked that it was locked, and it was.

"Quinn," a tiny quiet voice called out. Quinn turned to find her girlfriend standing at the end of the hall that led to the master bedroom, the brunette looking like a fragile doll in a Georgetown t-shirt that was too big and some pyjama bottoms, her arms wrapped around herself. Quinn walked over towards her girlfriend, switching the safety on her gun on before wrapping her arms around the brunette and hugging her close. "It's okay. There's nothing here," she said as she rubbed Rachel's back with her hand. "C'mon, let's go back to bed." Rachel nodded and laced her hand with Quinn's free one, leading them down the hall back to the bedroom intent to stay within the safety of the room for the rest of the night.

As Saturday rolled around, the girls and Blaine found themselves pulling up in the driveway of the Fabray household. Blaine couldn't help but stare up at the house in awe, he had never been in a house so big before. "Quinn, are you sure you're not some sort of princess or something?" he asked gazing out the car window. Quinn and Rachel giggled at his comment and the blonde turned in her seat to face him. "My grandfather, my Mom's father, was a big shot investor, incredibly wealthy. Anyways she grew up with the best of the best. When my parents got married he purchased them this house as a wedding gift," she explained and Blaine nodded.

"Must be nice growing up in a house like this," he said. Quinn just shrugged her shoulders and glanced out the windscreen of the car. "I mean, I guess. Thing is my Dad grew up in a working class family so he always made sure that my sister and I understood the value of a dollar. We knew we grew up with money it just never bothered us. It still doesn't," she said honestly as she looked at her girlfriend and smiled. It was the truth, Quinn didn't care about her family's wealth because to her, she never felt richer than she did right at that moment, about to share in one of her favourite family traditions with family, Blaine and the girl she loved most

"Alright, enough dashboard confessionals, let's go load up on candy have fun," Quinn cheered making Blaine and her girlfriend laugh. Stepping out of the car they made their way up the pathway and Quinn let them inside. Halloween was a fun night in the Fabray house. Every year they would play games and admire the costumes of the kids who would knock on the door trick or treating. When it was dark and the last of the candy had been handed out, they would gather in the living room and watch horror movies, rotating between old classics and more modern ones. Quinn's favourite part was just before that, they would all go outside and watch the fireworks the neighbourhood put on every year.

"We're here," Quinn called out as they walked into the kitchen. Judy, who was standing in the kitchen with her grandkids making candy apples, could contain her happiness. Wiping her hands in her apron, she stepped from around the work area and walked towards her daughter. "Hi sweetie," she said, kissing her youngest on the cheek and then doing the same to Rachel and giving her a hug too. When she got to Blaine he smiled warmly at her and raised his hand for her to shake. "It's lovely to meet you Mrs. Fabray, thank you for inviting me," he said. Judy waved off his thanks and pulled him in for a hug.

"There is no need to thank me, any friend of Quinn's is more than welcome to visit any time," Judy replied standing back and introducing Blaine to the kids. They all got excited when they saw Rachel, having grown close to her over the last few months. She was really good with kids, often engaging them in arts and crafts or teaching them easy songs to play on piano. Casey in particular was excited as Rachel had helped her to make her costume for trick or treating. The little girl was going as Glinda from Wicked while the boys were going as Spiderman and Batman.

"Hey, you finally made it," Fran called out as she appeared from the living room, glass of red wine in hand and her husband trailing behind. As per usual, the eldest Fabray daughter hugged all three of the new arrivals before joining her kids to help finish the candy apples. John kissed Quinn and Rachel on the cheek and shook Blaine's hand, then turned to the fridge and pulled out three beers. "You a football fan?" he asked Blaine who nodded his head. "Except for when I'm sleeping," he replied. John chuckled and handed him a beer. "Good, you can watch the game with me while the ladies do their thing. I'll introduce you to the main man," he said, handing Blaine an open bottle of beer and they headed for the living room.

The rest of the evening carried on in a joyful manner. Judy and the girls prepared a slap up meal for dinner, three courses of course because any less just wouldn't do, and when they were finished, Fran took the children upstairs to change into their costumes. This prompted Judy into action as she pulled out her camera and loaded up a new memory card. Rachel loved having Blaine there because moments like those made her realise how much they had missed out on growing up. It was nice having someone there who understood what she was feeling. When the children emerged into the living room every cooed over their costumes, Casey doing a twirl.

"Babe Casey's outfit is amazing," Quinn whispered into Rachel's ear as Judy began snapping pictures. The costume was as close to the original outfit worn by Glinda on Broadway, it was amazing. Quinn couldn't help but admire the work her girlfriend had done. It made her think about how great Rachel would be with their kids when they became parents. _Wait, parents? Getting ahead of yourself Q_, she thought to herself. Fran appeared with her in hand and handed her husband his. "Okay, we're gonna get going. We shouldn't be more than an hour, two tops," she said, directing the last part to her mother.

As Fran's family left, everyone else gathered in the kitchen for coffee and a second round of dessert. Judy and Russell took the time to get to know Blaine and were impressed by his good manners and intellect. Clearly both he and Rachel had very positive influences over each other growing up. The topic of conversation then turned to Quinn's latest mishap, her mother fussing over the cut while Russell just chuckled to himself, all too aware of the exploits of being an agent. Quinn just kept trying to pull away from her mothers' grasp.

"Mom, seriously it's fine. I've already had Rachel fuss over me I don't need you doing it too," she said inching her chair away from Judy. The older just scoffed and looked at her daughter with a serious expression. "Quinn I'm your mother, it doesn't matter who comes into your life I will always fuss over you." Rachel just smiled at the interaction between mother and daughter before Russell's voice caught her attention. "So Rachel, how are you adjusting to being with an FBI agent?" he asked. Rachel shrugged one shoulder and gazed down at her empty plate.

"It's definitely different, and it's hard sometimes when Quinn goes out of state. It's really just the not knowing what could happen that'd difficult. But, she loves her job and I'm not going to stand in the way of that over what if's," she replied honestly. Quinn reached out her hand and rested it on Rachel's thigh and squeezed gently, smiling when brown eyes connected with hers. "Well that's very noble of you Rachel," Russell said as he lifted his cup of coffee and finished what was left. Judy sat with a twinkle in her eye watching the way her daughter gazed at her girlfriend. It was obvious to her that her daughter had finally found that special someone who could make her happy.

Once Fran, John and the kids had arrived back with bags brimming with candy, they all sat in the conservatory that overlooked the back yard enjoying some drinks and conversation while the children sorted through the contents of their bags. Alex looked out at the outdoor pool that was covered over to protect it from the cooler weather. Turning to Russell he looked at him from under his face mask that had been pulled up and was resting on the top of his head. "Gwanpa when can we go swimming again?" he asked, stuffing his face with a Hershey's chocolate kiss. Russell chuckled at his grandson.

"When the weather warms up again champ," he said and Alex just bobbed his head in understanding. Casey turned to Rachel and looked up at her. "Rachel, will you swim with us when Grandpa opens the pool?" she asked , fidgeting with the two chocolate coins in her hand before handing one to Rachel and then one to Blaine. Rachel stuttered, unsure how to answer the question. The brunette never went swimming, she hated the idea of her scars being exposed. "I-I'm sorry Case, I don't really like the water," Rachel replied, feeling like an ass when she saw the pout forming on the little girls face. Quinn stepped in to lighten the mood.

"Hey Casey, how about next weekend, you come stay with us and Rachel can take you to see Wicked?" she asked. The little girls eyes instantly lit up and she looked over to her mother, "Can I Mommy?" she asked, knowing she needed her mothers' permission first. Fran nodded her head and Casey instantly burst with happiness. "Yay!" she cheered, hugging Rachel and Quinn before returning to her place sitting next to her brothers. Rachel turned to her girlfriend, mouthing a thank you. Quinn just winked and continued to twirl a strand of Rachel's hair around her finger.

"Oh, the fireworks are going off," Judy squealed. Everyone gathered themselves up and threw on their coats, making their way outside and marvelling at all the different colours exploding in the area, like a kaleidoscope in the sky. Fran and John stood in with kids in front of them, Rachel and Quinn snuggled up together with Russell next to them and Judy linked her arm with Blaine's as they all watched the neighbourhood firework display. When things began winding down it was evident the kids were tired, so Quinn helped her sister usher them inside and into bed. By the time they had returned downstairs everyone had gathered in the living room for the annual horror movie marathon.

That night, when Quinn walked into the bedroom, Rachel was sat upright on her bed reading over a pamphlet. "What's that?" Quinn asked as she stood by the dresser removing her watch and necklace. Rachel looked up and as Quinn walked over and sat next to her on the bed, she handed her the pamphlet. "Plastic surgery?" Quinn said placing the pamphlet down and twisting her body towards her girlfriend. Rachel tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded her head as she brought her legs up under her so she was sitting Indian style.

"It's something I've been thinking about for years, ever since Blaine and I started working professionally. I met with a consultant and he told me that, while he couldn't make the scarring going away completely, he could make it look less….horrific," Rachel said, struggling with the last word. Quinn licked her lips and shook her head reaching out and grabbing a hold of her girlfriends' hands. "Rach, you don't need to this. I love you inside and out exactly as you are," she sighed, and Rachel felt a tear trickle down her cheek. Quinn wiped it away with her thumb allowing her mind to think out the pros and cons before ultimately coming to the conclusion that Rachel had to make up her own mind.

"Surgery for whatever reason, is a major thing. I, I just, I want you to be completely sure that this is something you want to do. And, if you decide that this is something really want, then I will be there by your side supporting you 100 percent. Okay?" she said. Rachel wiped away another fallen tear and nodded and then felt herself being pulled into a warm embrace. Years ago if Rachel had been left to make this decision, she would have remained undecided or probably have made a rash decision. But the feeling of being held and supported and having someone there who genuinely cared about what she wanted, it made the decision that much easier. She didn't need the surgery.

**So what did you think? Review please **


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